hotline bling
by hotoffthefryer
Summary: tumblr prompt: "i'm not that kind of doctor; you should really get to a hospital." Sakura interns at a mental health phone-line for her senior capstone project and is randomly assigned to work with the campus crush as her client. At least, she thinks it's him. It's possible there's more than one Uchiha Sasuke, right? Right. College AU, Non-massacre.
1. Part I Title

Phase I.

_Developing a Relationship_

In order to develop positive helping relationships, behave in ways that demonstrate core conditions of genuineness, respect, and empathy. In short: you've got to be able to connect.


	2. Session 1

Session 1 –

"Happy Tuesday, suchiha713. Is there another name you would like me to call you by?"

"Uchiha-san is fine."

"Well then, hello there, Uchiha-san. How has your week been so far?"

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

"Just okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Can you tell me about something that happened?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Will you?"

"Yes."

"Now?"

"No."

"Later then?"

"Probably not."

"I–um. Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"You don't want to tell me?"

"No."

"Am I the problem?"

"No."

"Ah, I see. Do you know what the problem is?"

"There's no problem."

"Well, that's good to hear. If there was a problem, how would you know it's there?"

"I…don't know if I know."

"Do you think knowing how to know would be beneficial?"

"Yes."

"I can help with that if you want."

"Okay."

"Would you like that?"

"Sure."

"Okay, great. How about we pick up with that next time?"

"Okay."

"Okay. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about before we go, Uchiha-san?"

"No, thank you."

"It's my pleasure. I'll talk to you next week, Uchiha-san."


	3. Part I Note

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Author's Note: **This story is a bit of a creative journey for me, one of growth. I've noticed that I've gotten really good at narrative at the expense of my dialogue, so a dialogue-only/heavy story seemed like a good way to hone these skills once again.

There will be four parts, each based on the four phases of the counseling relationship that I've learned in my graduate courseload. So, in a way, I'm studying for that, too, right? Right.

Anyway. I know for sure that Part I will be entirely dialogue, whereas Part II will entirely not be. Unsure on Parts III and IV. Each part can be read separately from one another, as in, you don't have to read in order. Again, a bit of a challenge for me in this way, too, making sure everything connects but also stands on its own. Obviously, things would be better if read "the right way" but, you know.

Part I is entirely written and will see updates every...hm. Hopefully, every hour or so after the first few sessions have been posted. However long it takes for me to do final edits. Part II is in the works and I see that being on a two-day update schedule since I'm thinking that will be a more traditional format; but who knows? Maybe I can do Part II quickly, too. You know how fickle inspiration is.

I hope you enjoy!

**Much love, **

**~hot**


	4. Session 2

Session 2 –

"Happy Tuesday, Uchiha-san. How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. I wonder why that is."

"Me too."

"Anything upsetting happen recently? Between the last time we talked and now?"

"I suppose."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be."

"No?"

"No."

"Oh. I can't help it. Sympathy's part of the gig, Uchiha-san."

"I don't need your sympathy."

"I wasn't suggesting you did! I'm sorry if I came across as though–"

"It's fine."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"I mean, I sure would hate to get off on the wrong foot."

"You're not."

"That's certainly good. I'm glad to hear that."

"No problem."

"Oh! That reminds me. We talked last week about identifying problems. Have you put any thought to that?"

"No."

"Yeah, I bet it was easy to forget. You mentioned earlier that something upsetting might have happened."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, something happened or yeah, you remember mentioning it?"

"Both."

"That sucks."

"It really doesn't."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I...I don't know what to say now."

"That's okay."

"It is?"

"Aa."

"Well, we can end early, if you'd like. You won't be charged for–"

"You can charge me."

"Are you sure?"

"You did the work. I'm sure."

"Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Don't thank me."

"Of course. Well, I'll talk to you next week, same time."

"Same time."


	5. Session 3

Session 3 –

"Happy Tuesday, Uchiha-san!"

"Happy Tuesday."

"I have to say, I was surprised by you calling in today."

"I said I would."

"Yes, yes, I know. I was so sure I bombed it last time, that's all."

"You didn't."

"Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Don't thank me."

"Of course not. Well, enough about me. I really would love to dive into how you identify and recognize the problems in your life like we talked about. Is that okay with you?"

"Aa."

"Great. What are some simple things that bother you? Pet peeves, trivial annoyances, things like that?"

"I've never thought about it."

"Now seems like as good a time as any, no?"

"Perhaps."

"Take your time; there's no wrong answers."

"I'm not one for sweets."

"Wow! Really?"

"No wrong answers?"

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san–"

"Don't be."

"That just wasn't what I was expecting and isn't something you hear every day."

"I suppose not."

"Definitely not. What don't you like about them?"

"They're sweet."

"Right. Well, do you like sour candies or fruit?"

"Some fruit."

"Which fruit is your favorite?"

"Tomatoes."

"Tomatoes?"

"Tomatoes."

"Why?"

"I've never thought about it much."

"That's okay. Sometimes people dislike or like things because they're attached to strong memories. Could that be it?"

"My mom had a garden."

"Oh, did she?"

"Hai. Vegetables and herbs, mostly. She cooked."

"Does she still?"

"Does she still what?"

"Garden? Cook?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I bet there's a rocking tomato soup recipe under lock and key somewhere if she had a vegetable garden and tomatoes are your favorite fruit."

"There is. I probably make it too often, if I'm honest."

"Uchiha-san, don't be silly. There's no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to our favorites."

"Aa, if you say so, doctor."

"Now seems like a good time to remind you that I am not a medical doctor. Or a doctor at all, really."

"Of course."

"Obesity is an epidemic, after all, I don't want you to think I'm encouraging–"

"I'm not obese."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you were–"

"I'm not."

"Men are just as at risk for anorexia and–"

"I'd love to talk about anything else."

"Okay okay okay. You seem to be in good spirits today."

"Aa. Better."

"That's great. I'm glad. So, these tomatoes of yours. Can anything ever be wrong with them?"

"Could be too ripe. Out of season."

"How does it affect you when tomatoes, one of your favorite things, are too ripe or out of season?"

"They don't taste as good."

"Well, that's about the tomato. How are you impacted?"

"I suppose I…am disappointed."

"Disappointed is a good word. Why?"

"I would have expected a better flavor."

"That makes sense. Are tomatoes any less your favorite once you encounter an overripe one?"

"No."

"Good, just checking. Some people say yes."

"Funny."

"I know. Seems like problems for you, at least for minor things, can be mediated by prior good experiences. Is that fair to say?"

"I suppose so."

"I think that's a good realization to make; what do you think?"

"I agree."

"Well, we went a little bit over today. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine."

"Okay. I'll be sure to make adjustments on your account so you're not–"

"It's fine."

"Uchiha-san."

"Sasuke."

"What?"

"My name is Sasuke."

"Oh. Sasuke."

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

"Likewise."

"Anyway, I'd feel terrible especially given last week–"

"It's no problem. Same time?"

"Same time. Have a great night, Sasuke-san."

"Same to you."


	6. Session 4

Session 4 –

"Happy Tuesday, Sasuke-san!"

"Happy Tuesday."

"Is there anything in particular that you would like to talk about today?"

"Hn."

"Yes? No?"

"Sorry. No."

"It's okay. Are you a student at KU?"

"Aa."

"Ah, I see. The first round of midterms are coming up, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

"No."

"Oh."

"I'm stressed about a few classes."

"A few like _five_ or a few like–"

"Funny. Just one."

"Hehe. I have to check. I don't want to take away time–"

"It's fine."

"Okay, if you say so. What class is it?"

"Biomedical Instrumentation."

"Oh! You're a senior?"

"What?"

"Sorry, sorry. I–I took that class last semester, that's all."

"I see."

"That was really inappropriate."

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry."

"I swear it's fine."

"Anyway, yeah. I took it with Tsunade-sama last semester. Does Orochimaru still teach it in the Spring?"

"Unfortunately."

"Yikes probably isn't big enough a word."

"Barely fits."

"You can be funny when you want to be, Sasuke-san."

"Hm. I'm told."

"I can't imagine how stressed you must be. I hacked my entire schedule last year just to be able to avoid his section."

"Guess I missed the memo."

"Looks like it."

"I'll be alright."

"How do you know you're stressed?"

"I have trouble sleeping usually."

"Insomnia?"

"No. Maybe. I get a lot of extra energy, so I can't…"

"Oh, I see. Does that happen every time you're stressed? Even when it's not with school?"

"I don't notice otherwise."

"Maybe it would be worthwhile to take notice."

"Maybe."

"Does it bother you when you can't sleep as well as you'd like because you're stressed?"

"You mean is it a problem?"

"Yes, insightful."

"Hardly insightful. I'd say yes. I'd call it a problem."

"Do you believe all problems can be solved?"

"Good question."

"Thank you."

"I believe most can be solved."

"Do you believe you can solve the solvable ones, Sasuke-san?"

"I…Probably."

"Yes or no."

"Yes."

"Well, I'd call that the first step. I'd be happy to help you along the way, if you'd like."

"I would."

"Oh, how nice."

"Hn."

"We're coming up on time for today. Anything else you'd like to cover before we go?"

"No, thank you."

"No problem. I'll talk to you next week, Sasuke-san!"

"Aa."


	7. Intersession

– Intersession –

"Sasuke-san?"

"Yes."

"It's not Tuesday."

"It's not."

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Well–"

"Is now a good time?"

"Sasuke-san."

"I can call back later."

"Sas–"


	8. Session 5

Session 5 –

"Happy Tuesday, Sasuke-san. Good to hear from you."

"Happy Tuesday."

"So before we kind of jump right in, I wanted to ask what happened the other day. Is everything alright? Do you want to talk about that?"

"I just. I wanted to talk."

"I'm all ears."

"I don't want to anymore."

"Oh. This is awkward then, ne?"

"Only a bit."

"You know, you don't have to call me week by week."

"I know."

"If you don't want to talk, then why call?"

"I made a commitment to you."

"It's hardly that deep. I'll be okay if we don't talk sometimes."

"Just okay?"

"I see what you did there, Sasuke-kun."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Is that–Is that what I said? I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"It's just so unprofessional."

"You apologize when you don't need to."

"It's just–"

"There was no offense."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"I'm glad. I'm afraid I'm going to have to practice being more mindful, though. One of these days one of our sessions will be recorded and I can't even begin to tell you how many points I'd lose."

"That's understandable."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

"Don't mention it."

"Well, if you don't want to talk, what will we do, then?"

"Listen to music."

"Listen to music?"

"Music, yes. Sometimes people sing too."

"I know what music is, wise guy."

"Couldn't tell."

"What would you put on for us?"

"Whatever you like."

"Whatever _I_ like? Sasuke-san, these are your sessions."

"Okay?"

"Fine. We can do that. As soon as 30 minutes is up, though."

"Deal."

"Are you going to ask me what I like?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Oh. Okay then. How was your day?"

"It'd be better if I didn't have to talk when I didn't want to."

"Oh, I didn't mean to…"

"I'm teasing you. I found a song."

"Sure. I suppose there's no harm in playing it and ending early."

"You like it."

"I–Yes. It's good."

"Aa."

"Thanks, Sasuke-san."

"Anytime."

"Next week?"

"You mean you want another song next week?"

"No, that's not what I meant, but..."

"I'll do it anyway and call you then."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."


	9. Session 6

Session 6 –

"Howdy, stranger."

"Excuse me?"

"I was just being funny."

"Oh. Hey."

"How was your week?"

"Solid."

"What's that on, like, a scale of 10?"

"Of 10. Hm. A five, six."

"Solid indeed. Is this typical for you, better, or worse on average?"

"I'd say better."

"That's awesome! To what do you owe the pleasure?"

"It's annoying."

"The fact that something helped you have a solid week is annoying. Sasuke-san that sounds fishy."

"No, no. The thing is annoying."

"What thing?"

"The thing that happened."

"I'm confused."

"Don't be."

"Clear it up for me, then."

"My friends; they're dumb."

"Do they go to KU as well?"

"Aa."

"Then I doubt very seriously that they're dumb."

"Tch. They do dumb things."

"You must have enjoyed it, though, if it made your week a bit better than normal."

"Being annoyed and having a good time are not mutually exclusive."

"They're not?"

"They're not."

"I'm sorry for laughing, Sasuke-san, but you have to admit–"

"We went to Suna for the weekend."

"Oh! Okay. Tell me more about that."

"It's not much more to tell."

"What I'm hearing is: Suna in and of itself is annoying. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Sasuke-san."

"That's not fair when I don't know you're name."

"Tch. Okay. I'm just...not sure I can tell you."

"Hn. Sounds _fishy_."

"You're a sassypants."

"Heh."

"It's just anonymity and such. We could be classmates, you never know."

"Just screw me then."

"Sasuke, come on. You didn't _have_ to tell me your name."

"It's fine."

"Doesn't seem like it. Seems like a problem."

"It's not."

"How do you know?"

"I'll just use your username."

"My–Sasuke, are you serious?"

"I tend to be."

"Fine, okay, fine. It's interesting that this is so important to you all of a sudden."

"It's not sudden."

"You're being difficult."

"Am I, Counselor0076542?"

"I think so, yes."

"Hm."

"Are you disappointed?"

"What?"

"The last time we talked about how you feel when faced with a problem, you said…"

"That was with tomatoes."

"It was, but in this case?"

"I suppose I am."

"You are what?"

"Disappointed."

"You want to tell me why?"

"Not particularly."

"Okay."

"Are there any other feelings you can identify?"

"Yes. It's time for music."

"Oh. Um. Already?"

"Mmhm."

"Let's hear it."


	10. Intersession 2

– Intersession –

"007?"

"Who is–Oh. Yes. Hi, Sasuke-san."

"Hi."

"I just wanted to call and let you know that our next session is the one...you remember how I said?"

"Being recorded."

"Yes."

"Okay?"

"Anyway, just, you know. Act natural? Not that you don't normally act natural, or anything. It's just a really big part of my grade and all."

"Sure."

"Everything should be close to the same way, you know. Experience wise. No music, obviously."

"Obviously."

"Yeah. Right. Well...that's all I really called for."

"Sure."

"Is everything going okay? I had a thought that we should meet more regularly because once a week is...you know. So much can happen."

"I'm good for now and I'm okay."

"Just okay?"

"Mm. Bout a 4."

"That seems low."

"Well."

"Is what it is, huh?"

"Is what it is."

"Seems like you're handling yourself just fine either way."

"Hai...listen, I–"

"Oh, nuggets. I'm sorry. Here I am taking up your Thirsty Thursday. I'm sure you have plans."

"Me with plans? No. I do have to go, though."

"Oh, okay. Really really quick though."

"Hn?"

"What made you, you know, sign up for this service? I was supposed to ask a while ago."

"Oh. Ah. I – I've gotten help most of my life. I don't really…"

"You don't know?"

"I'm not in the best place right now to say."

"Oh, oh. Right. That makes sense. I'll just talk to you again on Tuesday?"

"Talk to you Tuesday."


	11. Session 7

Session 7 –

"Good evening, Uchiha-san. This is your intern from KU's Counseling Center calling. How are you today?"

"Heh. Doing well."

"I'm glad to hear. I know we've spent the last few weeks talking about a few things that have popped up as problems in your life over this past month, and what we've been working on has been, you know, taking time to take that step backward and break down what it is about things that bother us so we know how to better respond. Does that sound right?"

"It does."

"Great. I was hoping to continue doing that for today's session."

"Okay."

"So, did anything come up this week that made you feel a little less than great?"

"I got my test back from Bio."

"Ah. How'd you do?"

"I got the highest score."

"Congratulations, Uchiha-san!"

"Thanks."

"Interesting that that bothers you. I know plenty of folks would feel the opposite, but not everyone. What's your reason for feeling like you belong more to the second group, do you think?"

"When you set the bar high..."

"Ah, I see."

"Right."

"Are you worried that you won't be able to perform as well next time?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, let's just say you were."

"Okay."

"How would not meeting those expectations affect you?"

"I would...hm."

"Maybe you'd be annoyed? Perhaps disappointed? Or somewhere in between or both?"

"I wouldn't be disappointed in myself."

"No?"

"No."

"Would someone _else_ be disappointed in you? Theoretically."

"...Aa."

"Is this person that you're thinking of significant in your life?"

"They were."

"I see. And yet their opinions of you would still impact how you would feel about yourself?"

"Mmhm."

"They must have been quite important."

"My father."

"Oh. I see. How would you describe you all's relationship in, say, three words?"

"Three. Hm. I–I don't know."

"Take your time."

"Those are my three words."

"You don't know?"

"Aa."

"Tell me more about that, if you don't mind."

"I do mind."

"I understand. Maybe we talk about it next time?"

"Next time."

"Well, we don't have too much time left over to talk about anything else super heavy. Did you have a highlight of the week that you wanted to share?"

"My best friend finally grew a pair."

"Oh, goodness. What do you mean?"

"He finally asked out this girl."

"It must've gone well, then."

"I'm just happy he'll be out of my way now."

"You don't mean that."

"You don't know him."

"That's very fair. Please send my congratulations to the happy couple, Uchiha-san."

"Heh. Will do."

"Alrighty then. Well, in that case, I'll just sum up what we talked about today and then share with you our plans for next time. Sound good?"

"Aa."

"So, today we talked about your test from Orochimaru-sama's class and how you did. Even though you performed better than average, in fact, earning the highest grade in your class, you're experiencing some negative emotions that may or may not be related to your father."

"Right."

"So, next time, we'll focus on breaking down those feelings and any others that may have come up between now and then. Plus whatever else may have happened."

"Sounds good."

"Sounds great. I look forward to hearing from you next week, Uchiha-san."

"Likewise."


	12. Intersession 3

– Intersession –

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Double-oh? We just–"

"I did _terrible_, I just know it."

"You didn't do _terrible_."

"I. Did. I sounded like a fucking box recording. Ugh. And then when you brought up your dad, I literally just froze. We should have talked more about that and I just...dropped the ball. Fumbled it. Totally fumbled it."

"I didn't want to talk about my dad."

"Yeah, but–"

"Nothing you could have said would have changed my mind."

"But, Sasuke–"

"You did fine."

"We have all these techniques and stuff and I literally only used one."

"I'm sure you used more than one."

"I _counted_."

"Calm down."

"I might as well drop out."

"You can't do that."

"I can and I will."

"Well, don't."

"Why the hell not? It's me: a doofus."

"Tch. I don't know about doofus."

"Sasuke-kun."

"You did great. You do great."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

"_Thank you."_

"Annoying. You're welcome."

"I'm sorry. And don't tell me not to be."

"Hn. Okay."

"I'm serious. Thanks for trying to calm me down. I can be really hard on myself sometimes and, you know. Most of my friends just add fuel to the fire."

"It's no problem."

"I'm glad. Well, I don't want to keep you."

"I don't mind."

"All the same. For all I know, this is being recorded to and I've found a secret way to fail even harder."

"Good night, Double-Oh."

"Good night, Sasuke-kun. Talk to you next time."


	13. Session 8

Session 8 –

"Sa–Who is this?"

"Playing? 070 Shake."

"070 Shake?"

"Mm."

"Why are you playing it _now_ though?"

"You owe me a song."

"I–"

"Last week we didn't."

"I suppose that's fair."

"It is."

"El-oh-el. Whatever. Happy Tuesday, Sasuke-san."

"Happy Tuesday."

"So are we just going to have it in the background or?"

"Whatever."

"Let's do that, you know, so we have time still."

"Okay."

"Cool. I _really_ wanted to loop back to your dad."

"My dad."

"You didn't have to turn off the music entirely, Sasuke-kun. Talk about a record scratch moment."

"Hn."

"Is it okay if we do that today?"

"I...guess."

"We don't have to!"

"It's fine."

"We can?"

"We can."

"So, tell me about him."

"He's dead."

"Dead?! Oh my god. How did he–"

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry for reacting like that. I just...wasn't expecting."

"You're okay, Double-Oh."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"There was a car accident."

"Were you there? Was anyone else injured?"

"My mom and my brother. And no, I wasn't."

"Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry. Are they…?"

"My mom. My brother is...he's not the same, anymore."

"I can't imagine."

"You don't have to."

"That's not what I me–"

"It's okay. It was a bad joke."

"Oh. Haha."

"You don't have to laugh."

"Heh, right. That must be awful, still, though. How long ago was the accident?"

"I was six or so."

"You've been on your own since then?"

"My brother's around."

"You said he wasn't the same."

"He...things just. Things change a lot when you go from sibling to legal guardian in one night."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah."

"Was your dad tough on you?"

"Yes."

"That must have been a lot when you're only six. For it to still be impacting you today, I mean."

"Hn. It–it's probably a lot of factors."

"Would it be too much to try and identify some of those?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well. Seems like the way it makes you feel represents a problem in your life. I guess the question is whether or not the problems are solvable. It seems in this case that it might not even be worth it to think about _what_ the problem is before that, ne?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just thinking, you know, there's nothing you can do about your dad being gone. So, if that's the problem, it might be unnecessarily painful to dredge up stuff in hopes of finding a solution."

"Hm."

"Does that make sense?"

"Aa. I don't think it's that he's dead."

"That's a good start. What do you think it could be?"

"That I'll never be able to meet his expectations."

"Oh."

"Now that he's gone."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"Is there anything you can do about that?"

"About what?"

"I guess...I don't want to put words in your mouth, so stop me if I am, but it sounds like it's really important to you that you make your father proud."

"Mm."

"At the same time, it feels like, to me, you're not sure how to do that, and it bothers you that you'll never get that chance to...I don't know. Find out from him."

"..."

"Sasuke-san? Sasuke-san? Is–Are you crying?"

"No."

"It just–"

"I'm not."

"Even if you were–"

"I wasn't."

"Okay. Well. What was that second song?"

"Give me a second."

"I like it."

"I know."

"You're not going all Joe Goldberg on me, are you?"

"Che. No. I'm good at stuff like this."

"And yet you're a BioE major."

"Evidently so."

"Mmm. I'll see you next time, Sasuke-san."

"Actually."

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking twice a week might be good."

"Oh yeah? Well, my pockets aren't going to tell you no if yours aren't."

"Funny. Tuesday/Thursday works for me."

"Same time?"

"Same time."

"Okay. I'll talk to you Thursday, then. Have a good night!"

"Same to you."


	14. Session 9

Session 9 –

"Hi there, Sasuke-san. Feels like we just talked, doesn't it?"

"Aa, it does."

"How's it going?"

"Pretty good."

"Give me a high and a low for the past week so far."

"High and low, huh? I'd say...there was tomato bisque at the halls today."

"Of course."

"Aa. A low...can't say."

"It's pretty cold still, for March. That's mine."

"Aa, it is."

"Do you prefer hot or cold weather, Sasuke-san?"

"I'd say hot."

"Hot hot or spring hot?"

"Hot hot. My birthday is in July."

"It is pretty hot in July."

"It is. What about you?"

"Oh, spring. For sure. Actual spring. Not this poor imitation of–"

"Your birthday."

"Oh! My birthday is later this month."

"Happy almost birthday."

"Thank you, Sasuke-san."

"Are you doing anything?"

"I–eh, I don't know. My friends will probably throw something together."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"Making conversation."

"I had to pull teeth two months ago. What changed?"

"I trust you."

"Oh. Wow. Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

"Tch. Right. Well, in any case, I'm glad you trust me and that it seems like you're having a good day today and a good week overall."

"I am."

"Were there any things you wanted to talk about?"

"I thought about my dad more."

"You did?"

"Hai. You were right."

"I tend to be."

"Ha ha."

"I kid. What was I right about?"

"Why I get...so critical of myself. Set impossibly high expectations."

"I never used the word _impossible_."

"They are, though."

"That's an important realization for you to have made. I'm proud of you for that."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say thank you."

"Thank you."

"What're you going to do now that you know your relationship with your father, pre and posthumously influences the way you perceive your achievements?"

"Perceive differently, I guess."

"I'd say that's a good start. It's not like you can bring him back even if you wanted to."

"I don't want to."

"Oh, I–"

"Everything happens for a reason."

"That it does. That's a very healthy way to look at things, Sasuke-kun."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Sounds like you're out and about. It's weird to think we'll be ending without a handpicked curation."

"They're playing Bruno Mars in the grocery store."

"When are they not?"

"Here I'll put you on speaker."

"Sasuke-kun–"

"Can't hear you over the musical genius."

"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun."

"Talk Tuesday."


	15. Session 10

Session 10 –

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun."

"Afternoon, Double-Oh."

"So, I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"I think it's time for you to tell me a little bit more about what you're hoping to gain from this counseling relationship. You know, why you signed up in the first place?"

"Hn."

"No?"

"I don't know."

"That's funny because I seem to recall that you do, but I just called at a bad time."

"Tch."

"Tch indeed."

"Annoying."

"What's annoying?"

"You right now."

"What am I doing to be annoying?!"

"It's nothing."

"I'm kind of getting the impression that it's not, though?"

"Funny."

"We don't have to if–"

"I have bipolar."

"Oh. One or two?"

"Guess."

"Sasuke, mental health isn't a game."

"Two. It was treated as depression when I was younger."

"That's not uncommon."

"Hn."

"Was the onset when your parents passed?"

"I'd say so."

"Close to it, probably."

"Probably."

"Well, what's that like?"

"Fine."

"I'm feeling like you don't want to talk about it."

"Hm."

"Do you keep up with your medications? Lithium, probably."

"Aa."

"What have counselors done in the past to help?"

"They haven't."

"They haven't helped?"

"No."

"Am I...helping?"

"Bipolar isn't something you can help with."

"You in general or…?"

"Not even you could help, Double-Oh. You specifically."

"Why do you feel that way?"

"Because it isn't a problem."

"Wha? I–Sorry. I mean. What do you mean?"

"It's fine. Bipolar is just something I have."

"Okay."

"I'm okay with it."

"Well then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Do you have any regularly stigmatized disorders you want to tell me about?"

"Wh–I...No."

"No, you don't or no, you won't?"

"I don't see why it matters."

"My point exactly."

"I don't understand."

"Hn."

"Thank you for sharing that with me, Sasuke-kun."

"It's no big deal."

"Song time?"

"My phone's about to die."

"Oh, well–"


	16. Intersession 4

– Intersession –

"Double-Oh."

"Hi, Sasuke-kun."

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to say sorry."

"Okay."

"So. Sorry."

"Apology accepted. What for?"

"I...I think I understand what you meant, you know. Earlier. I'm sorry for stigmatizing you."

"You didn't."

"I didn't?"

"No."

"Oh."

"You almost did."

"Oh."

"Hn."

"Well, I'm still so–"

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Good night, Double-Oh."

"Oh. Good night, Sasuke-kun."


	17. Session 11

Session 11 –

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!"

"Hello."

"How's it going?"

"Fine."

"1-10."

"Hn. 5."

"That's better than the last time I asked."

"What'd I say last time?"

"4, I think."

"Then 6."

"Oh, that's awesome!"

"Bio Tools is going well."

"Happy to hear it."

"You helped."

"I did?"

"Aa. I've been...thinking more about my standards."

"What'd you decide about them?"

"That my best is good enough."

"I'd agree with that. How do you know when you do your best?"

"Usually when I'm the best."

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hn?"

"I guess we can revisit that later. So you're telling me you have a 100% in Orochimaru-sama's class?"

"96."

"You're kidding."

"I missed an iClicker question once."

"That's insane. What about all of your other classes?"

"They're fine."

"Just fine?"

"As and Bs."

"Have you ever gotten a grade you weren't happy with?"

"Me? No."

"What about a grade that made someone else not happy?"

"Always."

"Always! I find it hard to believe that anyone could be mad at a 96 in BioE."

"Well."

"That's crazy."

"Itachi just wants me to do my best."

"Who's Itachi?"

"My brother."

"Oh, okay, okay. Well, how would he know the difference between what's your best and what's not? Especially when you're doing so well by every other standard. That doesn't seem fair."

"I'm not sure you asked a question."

"I guess I didn't. That seems like a lot of pressure to me. Is it?"

"Pressure makes diamonds."

"Pressure also triggers hypomania."

"..."

"I bet you're wishing you never told me."

"Somewhat."

"You've got to talk to him Sasuke. I'd hate for you to do less than your best and be unprepared to handle it healthily."

"That'll never happen."

"Let's pretend it does. What would you do?"

"I don't know."

"I remember you telling me before that you usually lose sleep when you're stressed. Is that one of the first signs that pressure is impacting you negatively that you can think of?"

"I–Yes."

"We can start there, next time. I want a list of at least five things, okay? Triggers and responses."

"Okay."

"Anyway. Spring Break is next week. Do you have anything planned?"

"Suna."

"But you hate Suna."

"Suna annoys me."

"I'm failing to see the difference."

"I don't hate it."

"Well, what's in Suna that annoys you so much?"

"Family. Cousins, uncles."

"Oh, I see. I see. You must be the youngest."

"Aa. How do you figure?"

"Lucky guess."

"Hn."

"Did you want to still meet next week? We can always–"

"Yes."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I'll still want to."

"Tch. Okay, well, like I was saying. The Counseling Center will obviously be closed so I'll need to call from my personal phone if that's okay with you."

"Aa. What is it?"

"Are you sure? I'll want my list then, too."

"Tch. I'm sure."

"Okay, fine. You have a pen?"


	18. Session 12

Session 12 –

"Hello? Sasuke?"

"Moshi moshi."

"Moshi moshi. How's Suna? I can hear the sun rays."

"Heh, it's fine. Better than I thought."

"What're you doing? Is now still a good time?"

"Hai. Just left a bonfire."

"A bonfire?!"

"Yeah. We do one every year."

"That's awesome."

"It's okay."

"How's the family? They're not annoying you too badly, are they?"

"Sasu-chan? Where'd you–"

"Excuse me."

"No problem."

"I'm on the phone!"

"Sasu-chan!"

"I'm on the phone, Izumi."

"Itachi's looking for youuuuwho you talking to, cousin?"

"Izumi."

"This that girlfriend Ita-kun was talking about?"

"I'm sorry. I'm going to have to call you back."

* * *

"Double-Oh?"

"Hello there, Sasuke-san."

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Sounded like a full house."

"My grandparents have a beachside estate."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Anyway, I made that list."

"Great, I was just about to ask."

"Do you have an email?"

"Oh, um. You just can't–"

"It's long."

"Right. Duh. It's, uh. sharuno2 at fireside dot edu."

"Thank you."

"Got it. Looks like you put in a lot of work, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"Though there is a ty–"

"Where?"

"I'm kidding."

"Hn."

"So, I'm glad that it looks like you were able to recognize that a big stressor of yours is academic success and that it tends to result in trouble sleeping. That's a good connection to make."

"Aa."

"I'm curious about what you mean by competition and aggression, though. You don't seem very…either."

"I can be competitive."

"I just can't imagine."

"Hn. I'm an athlete."

"What sport?"

"It'd be easier to say which one I don't."

"Do you play any for KU?"

"Aa."

"So you get 96s in probably the hardest class offered at the university _and_ you're a student-athlete?"

"That's what the transcripts say."

"I honestly don't know how anyone could ever be disappointed in you, Sasuke-kun, let alone you in yourself."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"I'm particularly curious about the part where you say that competition can make you feel like you're not yourself and outside of your own body sometimes."

"Aa."

"What's that like?"

"I just see red."

"I'm imagining you don't like to lose."

"Who does?"

"Losing has its merits."

"Tch."

"What'd you do, last time you lost?"

"Trained harder."

"Did you lose again after that?"

"No."

"Never again?"

"I mean, eventually."

"And then you trained harder again?"

"Aa."

"Hm. That sounds exhausting, Sasuke-san."

"I'm alright."

"We're _just_ about out of time, but, really, I'm wondering if you like living like that?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Just seems like a pattern for you; whenever you fall short, you just...push yourself harder and harder. Do you ever think sometimes that it may not be, I don't know, necessary for you to do that? That it won't make a difference?"

"Hn. I'd have to think about that."

"Take some time and do that! I could be wrong. Do you ever journal?"

"Heh, no."

"What's so funny about that?"

"I don't need a diary."

"It's a _journal_, Sasuke-kun. Just think about it. Talk to you Thursday?"

"Talk to you Thursday."


	19. Session 13

Session 13 –

"Moshi moshi!"

"Moshi moshi. Is now a good time?"

"Ah...it's just a bit earlier than I was expecting, but I can swing it. What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Sasuke...is something the matter?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"..."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Never mi–"

"Don't go! Don't go, it's fine. We can just listen to some music, yeah?"

"Yeah."


	20. Intersession 5

– Intersession –

"Hey, are you free?"

"Not...exactly. But, uh, let me just. Get away. What's up?"

"Now's not a good time."

"It's my birthday, that's all. A party I didn't ask for."

"Oh."

"What's up?"

"I think we should stop working together."

"What? Why? There's only a few weeks left in the–"

* * *

"Sasuke? Sasuke? Hello?"


	21. Session 14

Session 14 –

"Sakura, I meant what I said. Stop calling."

* * *

Ever so slowly, a certain rosette peeled her phone off her face and stared at the screen, back at her home page. She blinked at the photo of her and her best friends caught in a laughter-filled embrace three times.

_Had he...just…?_

And then she screamed.

Deeper inside their neatly organized student apartment kitchen, Ino was spooning mouthfuls of key lime yogurt into her mouth lazily. She had just begun skimming her Psych textbook when she heard Sakura's _piercing _scream ripping through the unit.

"What now, Forehead," she muttered to herself, kicking the refrigerator door closed and shuffling toward her roommate's room. Sakura was still panting when Ino flopped onto her bed. She looked at Sakura expectantly and licked her spoon.

"What is it?" she asked.

"He knows, Piggy-chan," Sakura cried, flinging herself onto Ino's body. Ino scrambled to keep from dropping her yogurt as Sakura dramatically shook her shoulders. "He knows!"

Ino huffed. "Of course he does. Now get off me. _The Voice_ is coming on."

Sakura face planted onto the floor as Ino trudged back to the living room. She turned the volume up on the television to drown out Sakura's cries.

Meanwhile, a certain rosette was mortified.

Her life. Was _over. _


	22. Part II Title

Phase II.

_Making An Informed Assessment_

An informed assessment happens when both you and the client gather information in order to figure out what's "really" going on so that you can assess what needs to happen next in order to change the situation for the better.


	23. Part II Note

**Author's Note: **And thus starts Phase II! Thanks for making it this far :) I've missed leaving little notes after each chapter like I'm used to, but the last thing I want to do is interrupt reading flow so I'm holding back. Thanks so much for all the support received so far! I'm really excited about the plans I have and I want this to continue to be a quick read and even quicker write. So, continue to anticipate speedy updates.

Favorite, follow, and review.

Much love,

~hot


	24. January

_January_

Her last first day. Sakura could hardly believe that she's made it this far in one piece. Through all of the ups and downs, hangovers, late-night cram sessions, and more...here she stood, at the magnificent front gates of thee pride and joy of Fire County. None other than the illustrious, magnificent, world-renowned–

"COME ON! MOVE IT!"

Konoha University.

Sakura sighed and turned up the radio, trying and failing to drown out the sounds of Kiba's road rage. While they weren't _quite _at the gates, Sakura, Kiba, and three of their friends (namely: Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji) were nearly done being stuffed in their U-Haul. If only the massive line of one-lane traffic would evaporate.

Their car lurched forward with a jolt. A light Sakura knew well but couldn't quite see over the height of the vehicles ahead of them had turned green. While she normally would have berated Kiba for driving over the speed limit, his choice to gun it past a yellow and make it to open road was well worth it. The view opened up to reveal neatly manicured rows of green – trees, grass, landscaping all very well taken care of. Students who had moved in earlier were blurs of smiles and laughter as Kiba sped down the road. Of course, everyone was still happy before the semester had really begun. Sakura marveled at new additions that had been added to campus over the break that, just the past year, were vacant construction zones.

"Oi, oi," Kiba pointed, glancing back at Sakura with a smirk. "That's new, ne?"

Sakura followed his finger and smiled, "Yeah. Looks like they finished."

KU was seemingly always adding something new to campus. Whether it was an updated Engineering quad, brand new football facilities, or modernly architectured dorm rooms, the alumni association always made sure that donations were aplenty so as to fund all of these improvements. Just the thought that at the end of this one, very short, school year, _she_ would be one of those alumni?

No one else in her family had done it. No one else from her small town had done it. And here she was.

Nearly there.

Sakura's heart swelled.

She couldn't believe it.

* * *

"Dattebayo, teme," Naruto cheered, whipping one of many of the pairs' collective footballs toward his friend. Sasuke caught it with one hand, just barely looking up from his unpacking. He didn't have to look to know that there was a 99.9% chance that Naruto was throwing fist pumps into the air as he promised, "We're gonna win this year, or my name's not Naruto...Fuckin...Uzu...Maki!"

Sasuke threw the football back and scoffed.

"You're going to jinx the season talking like that, baka."

Another toss.

"Since when are you superstitious?"

Sasuke caught the bullet sent to him with a slight hiss. The pigskin definitely burned on that one, no doubt purposefully. He threw the ball in between his own hands at the speed of light as he thought. He would never call himself superstitious. If anything, he was a realist. And, realistically, The Konoha Hurricanes lost...every year. Every year since Itachi, anyways. If his track record of continually coming second to Itachi meant anything at all?

The Uchiha put the football down in a pile of clothes and exchanged it for socks that needed folding. "We've never won," he answered, finally. He lobbed the ball of socks to Naruto, who caught it low, like the baseball catcher he was back in high school. Then, the blond opened a drawer and put the socks away.

He started to close the drawer, but paused, an idea popping into his head.

"One-on-one?" he proposed, already standing defensively and smiling cockily at his best friend.

Sasuke smirked. Basketball with laundry? Living with Naruto would surely be annoying at times, but at least nothing would be boring.

"You're on, dead last."

* * *

Hinata's hands were jittery messes trying to untangle the wires for their TV as Ino leaned over her, barking about _such and such TV show coming on in __six minutes__; hurry it the fudge up!_ Sakura and TenTen cuddled against each other on their loveseat under a blanket, watching with amusement.

"Why didn't you guys set up the TV yet?" Sakura asked, pausing slightly from scrolling down her timeline.

TenTen double-tapped before shrugging, "Meh. I'm tired after practice and Hina-chan always has a thing. Besides, I'm hooked on Hulu and I can stream that anywhere, anyways."

"Hulu?!" Ino yelped (causing Hinata to flash red and faint briefly) and jumped over unpacked boxes to skid over to where her other two roommates were. Despite her antics, neither of them looked up from their phones. "Did you say Hulu?" she asked again.

TenTen locked her phone and looked up.

"Hai."

"Do you have Premium?"

"Yeah, of course."

"No commercials?"

"That's...part of Premium, pretty sure."

"Unless it's Live, right?"

"Obviously."

"Are you…" Ino rocked on her heels, twirling a piece of hair. "Are you planning on sharing that with us?"

Sakura gasped, "Piggie-chan!"

"Whaaaat?" Ino whined. She danced like a kid in need of a bathroom break, "_Shark Tank _starts in _three minutes_!"

TenTen chuckled, "It's fine," and calmed Sakura's no-doubt looming critique with a few calming taps on her thighs. She got up from the couch and disappeared into her room, only to return with her iPad. She tapped a few buttons before handing it over to Ino, already loaded up to the appropriate page. The Yamanaka squealed and planted a kiss on TenTen's cheek in thanks before skittering away into her own room, pleased as punch.

Sakura opened the blanket back up to let TenTen in, but the bunned brunette declined, stretching her shoulders and yawning. "I gotta get up early, hit the pool," she explained. TenTen swam for KU's swim team; in fact, she was actually one of the best. Sakura thought she was a bit more on the muscular side until she met TenTen in Freshman Bio. That girl had arms, legs, and abs for days, and she was _still_ one of the most beautiful women she knew. Whoever said girls shouldn't look strong was a damn liar.

"Makes sense," Sakura replied, wrapping herself in a tighter blanket burrito. "Have a good night, Tentacles!"

"Oyasumi, Socky-chan. You gonna sleep there, Hina-Bina?"

"H-Hai," Hinata moaned from the ground, throwing up a weak thumbs up.

Sakura laughed, draping Hinata with her blanket before retiring into her room for the night. She could still hear the sounds of Ino arguing with Mark Cuban as she slipped into her dreams.

Tomorrow, the rest of her life would begin.


	25. February I

_February – Week 1_

Sakura dumped her textbooks onto their study table gracelessly, disturbing a few students nearby. Not that she cared, anyway.

She had bigger fish to fry.

"Ino-chan," she whispered as she slid into the seat across the aforementioned. Ino was unphased, gently bobbing her head to the music blaring through her AirPods as she dutifully took down notes. Sakura, mildly curious, tilted her head as she tried to decipher Ino's bubbly pink-inked handwriting. It was definitely higher-level neuroscience – parts of it Sakura understood due to her background as a pre-med student, and parts of it were completely out of her realm.

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes before trying Ino again, "Oink, oink, piggie," reaching across to tap her on the shoulder.

Ino sneered, pulling off one AirPod.

"I _hear_ you, Forehead."

Sakura shrugged and grabbed her notebook out of her backpack.

"You gotta help me with this Counseling II stuff. We get our clients next week and I'm just. Not ready," Sakura explained, sifting through pages and pages of notes she had already allocated. It'd only been a few weeks of classes, and she was already sure she'd undershot the size of the notebook she'd be needing.

Ino took out her second AirPod and tucked them away in their case.

"What do you know about them?" she asked.

Sakura balked, "_Nothing_. Kurenai-sensei said they're doing random this year for a more authentic experience."

"That makes sense."

"That makes sense," Sakura mocked. She ignored Ino's glare and continued, "I could get a lunatic!"

Ino frowned, "Now you know, that is _not_ very neuro-diversity positive of you."

Sakura grumbled and buried her head in her hands. She didn't need criticism from Ino right now. She needed answers!

Why else keep Psych majors for friends if not for answers to all of your life's problems!

As Sakura queried all the (nonsensical) reasons why pre-med students needed to take as many psychology courses as they did in order to graduate, Ino took it upon herself to snoop through her best friend's chicken-scratch for something useful. It had been a couple of semesters since she'd taken a psychotherapies course but...the blonde tapped her chin as she thought about the best plan of action she could offer her (clearly struggling) friend. She also puzzled over the several textbooks Sakura had checked out from the library on counseling theories. Everything from Freud to Zimbardo was represented.

Sakura was really putting her all into this, and she hadn't even started yet. This was already worlds better than the effort that she'd put into Counseling I, which the pair had taken together (allegedly). For all intents and purposes, Sakura had only made it out of there by the grace of God and, obviously, the geniusness that was one Ino Yamanaka.

"You're looking at this too hard, Forehead," Ino sighed as she tried to decipher Sakura's maniacal diagram of the CBT Model. It was supposed to be, simply, a freaking triangle, and the rosette had somehow managed to turn it into a plot for world domination.

Sakura peeled her head off the wood of the table (leaving an ugly pink ghost on her porcelain skin in its wake) and stared at Ino, mouth agape, at a loss.

Ino scoffed and flipped to a blank page of Sakura's notebook. Then, she handed her her pink pen.

"Repeat after me. You can't do any more harm than harm done without."

Sakura held Ino's pen dumbly. "...what?" she murmured.

Ino repeated, "You can't do any more harm, than the harm that can be done without. It's what my dad says. If someone needs help, you being there as someone who wants to help them is better than nothing. Do you want to help?"

Sakura nodded.

"Okay then! Suck it up!"

Sakura pouted. "But, Ino-chan–"

"No," Ino shook her head and waved her hand. "None of that. Write down the theories you know and your strengths and weaknesses in each. This is cake, and you're going to eat it."

"This is cake and I'm going to eat it," the rosette repeated, confidence growing. She knew _all_ of the theories. She could write a list, no problem! Her pen moved down the page with ease, a smile growing.

Whoever her client would be, they were no match for her.

Shannaro!

* * *

Sasuke slotted his phone in between his cheek and shoulder while he habitually twirled his football into the air, catching it with ease as he leaned back and spun in the desk chair that he'd just finished putting together. He'd very rarely been on a phone call as awkward, yet interesting, as the one that he was in now.

It was like every three minutes, he and this girl would go back and forth for a few good exchanges...and then...silence. He didn't mind it – he had a chair to put together, after all – but he could tell by the nervous chuckles and fervent flipping of pages that his conversation partner was more than a little uncomfortable.

He stopped spinning the ball when he heard her gulp loudly.

"Am I the problem?"

"No," Sasuke answered quickly, simply.

She sighed, seeming relieved, "Ah, I see. Do you know what the problem is?"

"There's no problem."

And, there it was. The silence.

Sasuke went back to his football, propping his feet on his desk and thinking about what all he had left on his plate. Finessing this counseling thing was a _huge_ relief because now he could finally get Itachi off his back a little. If it went like this every time, Sasuke figured he'd be able to kill two birds with one stone and maybe do some homework at the same time. The system might be random, but it sure seemed like it would be working well for him this semester.

* * *

Sakura's eyes were wary as she tried to mime her concerns to Ino, who was filing her nails absent-mindedly at the foot of the rosette's bed. She'd put this conversation on speaker, a direct violation of both Kurenai-sensei _and _the Counseling Center's rules, and invited Ino in to listen as support and guidance as needed.

_And Ino wasn't even __friggin'_ _helping_!

The rosette plunged her nails into her mouth and started gnawing. What could she do, what could she do? This guy was giving her _no_ budge. She abruptly stopped chewing her nails and flipped through her notebook. The pages were roughened up with her abuse, and she cursed her handwriting to hell for being so damn illegible. Why didn't she work on this more as a child? Who told her that she could keep writing messy if it meant she would be a doctor one day?

_That was a lie!_

Sakura choked on a silent groan. Her silence was verging on awkward. She had to say something, if only to make sure this guy was still on the line.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

What.

Would.

Ino.

Do?

* * *

"I'll talk to you next week, Uchiha-san."

His phone beeped three times, signaling the disconnection, and Sasuke smirked as he stared at the simple uchiwa fan of his clan on the background of his phone.

That was...interesting...to say the least.

He leaned back in his chair, swinging from side to side briefly. Then, the emblem of his uchiwa necklace found its way into his mouth as he fiddled. He wasn't sure how he felt about the experience altogether, except for the fact that he wanted to do it again.

With her.

Specifically.

"Let's see what you've got," Sasuke murmured to himself, releasing his necklace and letting it fall back against his chest. He reached for the Bluetooth mouse on his desk and shook it slightly to awaken his desktop. The first thing that he did was give his session five stars – no, nope, never mind, 4.5. There's always room for improvement.

Then, he clicked to his calendar and blocked off thirty minutes every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for the remainder of the semester.

He would, most definitely, be doing this again.


	26. February II - Part 1

**A/N: **Agh! Guys. I just realized I made a minor detail error that doesn't really matter, but definitely does. So lmao. I started Part II originally stating that it begins in August. This is not so. It's Spring semester lol so Part II actually begins in January. As such, the following changes have been made:

Sasuke's Bio Tools class is in Spring (Session 4 reference)

The narrative story begins in January; minor details from Part II, Ch. 1 and 2 (originally titled Aug & Sept) have been changed to reflect this

Okay! All is well! If these changes didn't affect you, don't worry about my little snafus :)

* * *

_February – Week 2 (Part I)_

Sasuke peeled out of his hat and gloves, hung them haphazardly in his locker, and cursed, "Dammit," before shimmying out of his pea coat and boots. He nearly tripped on his scarf, trying to put on his shoes for practice, undress, and dress all at once. To say he was in a rush would be an understatement.

He'd spent a little too much time at the Engineering library – one, conveniently, farthest away from the arena – and was running dangerously late. Kakashi, for as lax as he was, was surprisingly strict about punctuality.

Sasuke crouched down and tied his gym shoes roughly, ignoring the melted snow plopping onto the leather as best he could. As he jogged toward the locker room exit and toward the gym, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and cursed again. His nose and the tips of his ears were still red as Rudolph from the cold, and snow clung to his hair from the flurries blurring outside.

He looked like a fucking elf.

With no time to dethaw his translucent skin or melt his hair under a hand dryer, he would have to settle. It would have to be enough to just be mentally prepared for the impending teasing coming his way.

"Nice for you to join us, Sasuke," Kakashi drawled, looking back at him over his shoulder the second his sneakers squeaked onto the court. As predicted, snickers struggled to contain themselves on the bleachers. Sasuke grunted and settled into his usual spot, silencing the laughter with heated glares.

"Only 12 minutes late this time, teme."

"Aa."

He and Naruto completed their handshake, as they always had since first playing together all the way back in grade school, and he turned to attention after the elaborate display of brotherhood was completed.

The silver-haired, self-proclaimed "copy ninja" was pacing across the maple basketball flooring as he explained the latest play he'd designed. _Design_ should be a term taken very lightly, however, as Kakashi didn't call himself a copy ninja for no reason. He was a pro at taking – ahem, _borrowing_ – tried and true techniques, plays, and strategies from the icons of the sport, past and present. Sasuke specifically remembered his freshman or sophomore year when OTech tried banning the Hurricanes from using tape for review. They'd claimed that "KU's system was built on a garbage sewer of copycat plagiarism" and, though their accusations were not wrong, their attempts were futile.

Kakashi was going to get the play, tweak it to fit his players best, and then deliver it. No matter what. Tape or not.

"So, what we're aiming to do is take advantage of Lee's speed at the fast break. He's a big guy who he really puts on the burners and beats most other bigs no problem. Let's take advantage of that," he wheeled out a whiteboard and began drawing Xs and Os as the plan got increasingly detailed. Eventually, Sasuke found himself automatically doing the honors of passing out mini-boards and markers for the rest of his teammates to follow along with.

As far as the core group went, Sasuke had very few problems with his teammates.

At the one was Sai – Point Guard. He ran the paint. Period. He'd transferred to KU after taking a few years at a French art school, then made the team as a walk-on. Pure. Talent. Sasuke didn't care much for Neji, the swingman, but the feeling was _truly_ mutual. They knew each other from intramural rivalries growing up, and the bitter tastes left in mouths after tossing championship trophies back and forth year after year never faded. It didn't help that Kakashi constantly made them battle for minutes.

Lee was fine enough. He did his job well, so Sasuke couldn't complain.

And then there was the molten ball of flesh sleeping with his eyes open also known as his best friend and the starting shooting guard. Naruto was undoubtedly the most natural leader of the group during gametime. Otherwise...not so much.

"Wake up, deadlast," Sasuke glared, elbowing Naruto not-so-subtly in the gut as he sat back down. Before Naruto got the chance to argue, the Uchiha shoved a whiteboard and marker into his chest. He nodded toward Kakashi's board, which was already half full. In between neat scribbles, trying to catch up, he told Naruto, "We've got no chance at making Madness if you're being an idiot."

Naruto grinned while taking the cap off his marker.

"Ne, teme, I remember not even two weeks ago you didn't even think we had a sh–"

"Shut up."

* * *

Sasuke's knee bounced increasingly faster and his entire body itched to push Naruto out of his own car window and floor it, leaving him in the street. It wasn't unusual for Naruto to offer the underclassmen (every. single. last. one.) rides to their dorms after practices, but Sasuke had _somewhere to be_. Or, more specifically, someone to talk to.

His eyes flickered to the digital lights on Naruto's dashboard clock.

_7:58_. Two minutes.

He had someone to talk to in two minutes. And this idiot was leaning halfway out his frigging window chatting it up with this freshman like they were best buds. Like. What? Naruto was only allowed to best buds _with him_.

Who was this guy?

Naruto's thumb jutted toward Sasuke from over his shoulder, a wide smile on his face. "Hey, Sasuke, do you know Konohamaru?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Naruto chuckled, unperturbed.

"No," Sasuke seethed.

"That's crazy. He's probably gonna play 2 or–"

7:59.

Sasuke's fist tightened and his phone in his front pocket felt hot, like a lump of burning coal. He wondered what would happen if he just...didn't answer. He figured the service was voluntary – not that he wanted to leave his intern hanging, or anything, but explaining who he was talking to and then why he was talking to a _girl_, of all potential beings, would surely prove itself far too annoying to withstand.

"How's it going with Moegi, man?"

"Pretty good, pretty good. I really miss her; wish she could've come here."

"Man, you're lucky _I'm_ here."

They threw their heads back in laughter, but Sasuke's temper imploded the instant the clock flicked to 8:00 pm. "We really have to go," he said through a forced, closed-mouth smile. When he was met with confused, open-mouthed stares, he groaned and unsnapped his seatbelt, growling as he slammed Naruto's stupidly orange Jeep door and stomped around to the freshman. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and forcibly dragged him away and toward his dorm room entrance. "Give me your key card," he demanded, holding his hand out.

Konohamaru sneered, "Dude, what the–"

Sasuke's phone lit through the thin fabric of his tearaways and he held up a finger, effectively hushing Konohamaru. He picked it up and was immediately greeted by a noticeably cheerier chirp.

"Happy Tuesday, Uchiha-san. How are you doing today?"

Glaring, Sasuke mouthed _give me your __fuckin_ _key, freshman_.

"I'm fine," he growled, lips tight.

Konohamaru stuck out his tongue and stuffed up a middle finger, preparing to head back toward Naruto's car. Sasuke perched his phone against his cheek and swiftly caught Konohamaru by the wrist, quickly twisting his arm to his back and restraining him at the elbow.  
"Man, what is your–"

"The key," Sasuke bit lowly, tightening his grip.

Konohamaru scoffed and relented, "Fine, dude. I'll go."

The Sarutobi backed away from the Uchiha with his hands raised in surrender, refusing to unlock eyes with him until he was certain Sasuke was done being aggro. Sasuke was fine with the little staring contest, and, in fact, dared Konohamaru to look away, even after he swiped into the dorm. A feminine voice in his ear stating the obvious (that he, actually, was not as "fine" as he claimed) distracted his attention and reminded him why he dragged Konohamaru through the snow in the first place.

Sasuke cleared his throat and white smoke exited his mouth from the cold he somehow avoided feeling previously. He stuffed his hands in his pockets before turning to head back to Naruto's car.

"I wonder why that is," she pressed.

The Uchiha climbed into Naruto's Jeep and shut the door behind him. Even though the blond had a million questions on his face, Sasuke pointed to his phone and continued, "Me too."

Naruto's hand hovered over his keys momentarily, shocked to silence at Sasuke, who avoided his gaze like the plague while he continued on the phone. Naruto bet he thought he was being slick, hiking up his coat collar and being all short with his answers. But nope. He saw him chewing on his little necklace; that was Sasuke's biggest tell of all.

He was no idiot, contrary to popular belief. Naruto knew a meaningful phone call when he heard one, and he _definitely_ knew a nervous Sasuke when he saw one.

The only thing he had to figure out was why.

Struggling to contain his laughter, Naruto finally unfroze and turned his keys. He quickly shut off the radio before backing out and heading back to their apartment.


	27. February II - Part 2

_February – Week 2 (Part II)_

Naruto spent the rest of the week on a mission.

He had to figure out who that girl that Sasuke was talking to was, and he didn't have very much to go off of. In fact, he had _absolutely nothing_ to go off of. But he was nevertheless determined to accomplish his goal.

Why?

Well, it was simple: Naruto was going to get himself a girlfriend soon.

And that would be ten times more fun if Sasuke had one, too.

During morning practices, while the young men were practicing bounce-passing drills, Naruto drilled Sasuke for more information about the mysterious caller.

"Who was that you were talking to last night, teme?"

Bounce-pass.

Catch.

"What are you talking about?"

Pass. Dribble.

Lay-up.

"You know. The girl. At like 8:00 after we dropped off–"

A flash of orange zoomed dangerously close to Naruto's face, missing by only a whisker. The shock of nearly having his lights knocked out by a misdirected (his ass) pass effectively hushed him mid-sentence. If the ball had been any faster, he would have lost a freckle.

Sasuke scoffed, "Whoops," a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.

Naruto frowned.

Suffice to say: information was hard to come by. Especially from Sasuke.

The blond was on the verge of giving up on Thursday when he saw _her_ again.

_Her_ – the new girl that lived in their complex. She was the most beautiful being Naruto had ever laid eyes upon. He was sure of it, even when they'd first met, only for a brief moment as he'd helped her roommate with the twin buns move-in before the Spring semester began. She was making sure the artwork in their living room was hung straight when he came in and not-so-gently dumped the boxes he'd carried up to their unit on their kitchen island. The thump had made her all of her paintings tilt, but that's not what Naruto noticed at first. He didn't even notice her (totally adorable) yelp, either, though that did draw his attention to her.

When their eyes locked, it was like something out a movie.

And now here she was again, struggling to gather all of her groceries from her car trunk in one go. Naruto spotted her in the parking lot from his view on his balcony and conducted the quickest physics equation known to man to calculate. There would be no way for him to make it down the stairs to her in time before she undoubtedly dropped her eggs.

A woman could _never_ drop her eggs.

"Oi!" Naruto called, jutting his body over the balcony and waving his hand. "Oi! You in the purple with the eyes! I can–"

The girl shrieked and threw all her groceries in the air, falling backward.

Naruto wilted, stuck on what to do a few moments.

Then:

"I...I'll be right there to help," he shouted. He double-checked that his door was closed before taking the stairs down two at a time. His mind was racing for more than one reason as he thought of what he would say.

* * *

"My eggs…" Hinata whined, absentmindedly.

She immediately berated herself for _these_ being the first words she said to Naruto Uzumaki, who was kind enough to introduce himself and take her by the hands to help her up from the asphalt that she'd fainted onto. She glanced down at their still conjoined hands and felt her face flare. Her eyes widened and flew to the ground as he whipped her hands behind her back and groaned softly, squeamish.

_Oh, Kami_.

Naruto's nervous laughter brought her eyes up, which had drowned themselves in the ocean blue of his just as deep as they had all those weeks ago. It was hard to hear Naruto over the thumping of her heart, but it had sounded like he had just asked her if she wanted to go grocery shopping with him.

"My treat!" he smiled. "Since...you know. Hehe. I'll even drive ya if you promise we'll be back by 6:00."

Before her brain could register it, Hinata nodded timidly, agreeing.

* * *

Sakura heaved her body up the final set of stairs to her unit, dramatically flinging herself against the wall and even going so far as to crawl as she reached the last step. She could taste all the calories she would be losing simply by living on the top floor of this godforsaken place.

Someone, anyone, remind her _why, oh why_ she and her friends decided it would be a good idea to move out of Student Housing in the middle fo the year?

Student housing...had elevators.

Her backpack weighing as much as a five-year-old with a ravenous appetite was no help. Sakura lurched the sack higher onto her shoulders as she braced herself to stand. She dug her keys out of her coat pocket and was fishing for the correct one when she saw an unfamiliar figure foraging through her refrigerator from the window. And, while she could pick a fight with her roommates for refusing to draw the blinds before leaving out, she was incredibly grateful for the heads up.

Sakura unlocked the door, though she did not open it. First, she laced her pointiest keys in between her fingers and made a fist.

She may not be in the best shape anymore, but one's hands never _stop_ being registered weapons.

The rosette kicked the door open with a battle cry, fully prepared to charge through the open-concept living room and into the kitchen when the man turned to face her and she immediately recognized him.

_Naruto?_

Sakura skidded to a stop and fiddled her keys out of her hand, dropping them altogether on the kitchen floor.

"Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya!"

A smile twitched onto Sakura's face. Did this guy _not_ know that any person that had the privilege of breathing KU's air knew, very well, who he was? She chuckled and extended her hand.

"Hi. Sakura."

Naruto laughed, "Makes sense, y'know? Cuz your hair."

"Oh, yeah." Sakura laughed weakly. "Never heard that one before."

Her houseguest smiled wider at her before returning to what he was doing before. It became obvious to Sakura that he was putting away recently purchased groceries. She wondered briefly which of her roommates he had gone shopping with, but decided that detail didn't so much matter as much as the cold air gusting into the important form the door she had kicked (and left) open. "I would say make yourself at home, but," Sakura joked as she shuffled toward the front and closed the door, locking it. She stepped out of her shoes at the shoe rack before snuggling into the couch. She watched Naruto cheerfully put away and organize their groceries with mild curiosity for several moments until he clapped his hands.

Then, he closed the fridge, seemingly done. "Oh yeah. Sorry. Hina-chan had to run and she kind of ran out of time to put everything away, so I said I would help and she said that was fine."

Sakura's eyebrows shot to the ceiling.

"I swear I haven't been here long."

"No, no, you're fine. I'm just...don't you have somewhere to be?"

Naruto stopped eating a bag of chips he'd snagged from the cabinet. "Wuddayahmeen?" he asked through a full mouth. Sakura pointed at a wall clock, then did her best impression of a jump shot from her cuddled position on the couch.

Naruto gulped loudly.

"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed. He scrambled for his winter gear and bags, and then into his shoes as he headed for the door. "So nice meeting you," he said, looking back with one hand on the door.

Sakura hummed, "Same," her mind already focused on what she would be binging before her nap. She vaguely registered the door clicking closed behind Naruto, but nearly yelped when he stuck his head back in.

"Oh, my God! Naruto! What is it?"

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry. You really should lock this behind folks."

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Anyways. I wanted to let you know me and my buddy Sasuke live right underneath you guys if you all ever want to hang out. I'll see you around, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sunk deeper into her couch, querying with a paranoid mind why on Earth Naruto found it imperative to barge into her home to tell her that. She gnawed nails and tried to tell herself that he was just being neighborly as she rose to lock the door.

_It's still weird_, she decided to herself. She settled back into the couch and wrapped herself in her blanket. Then, she turned the TV onto the basketball game's pre-show. Just her luck, the camera was trained on one Uchiha Sasuke, zooming closer and closer to him from afar as he warmed up.


	28. February III - Part 1

_February – Week 3 (Part One)_

Ino was on a tirade.

Sakura watched from the couch as her friend violently cracked their eggs for breakfast and scrambled them in fever. The blonde would probably never express what was irritating her as much as it clearly was, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Yet again, Shikamaru was going to do _absolutely nothing_ for her for Valentine's Day.

While Shikamaru still had a couple of days to pull something out, Sakura's poor, blonde best friend had been let down more than enough times to count. She loved Shikamaru, she really did, but Sakura was certain Ino could do worlds better if she wanted.

"Oooh, eggs," Hinata chirped as she walked into the main room. She fished her arms through the loops of her winter coat before grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster and Nutella from the cabinet. "I wish I had time to have some. You always make them best, Ino-chan."

Ino growled her thanks.

Sakura sighed at Ino and turned an apologetic face toward Hinata, "She's not mad at you."

"I'm not mad at all!"

"Of course not!" Sakura and Hinata rushed simultaneously, eyes wide. They shared a brief, awkward glance between one another that was thankfully missed by Ino. A few moments of tense caution passed before Sakura dared to change the subject.

She asked Hinata, "Where are you headed out to so early?"

Ino poured her scrambled egg mixture onto a pan and started the stove before additionally noting, "Yeah. I thought you didn't have class until like 11?"

The Hyuuga's skin, normally creamy porcelain, reddened several shades.

"Nowhere really," she mumbled. She hid her discomfort in speedy, mouselike nibbles of toast. The truth was that she had a date–well, no, not a date. They had intentionally agreed to meet up at a neutral location to mutually get to know one another better...platonically or otherwise. Underneath her heavy coat, which was suddenly feeling much hotter under the curious stares of her friends, Hinata had on what she hoped would be an appropriate outfit for an early morning jog in the middle of February with a _boy_.

It was all **so embarrassing**.

Their ticking living room wall clock had never been so loud.

Sakura sensed Hinata's building pressure and, with the sort of knowingness that only a friend of many years could have, deduced that any further prodding would only result in a limp body laying across their kitchen floor. As much as she wanted to know more, she just wished her friend a good time and waited until she heard her skittering steps racing down the stairs to burst into laughter. Ino threw her head back as well, cackling.

"She's _definitely _seeing Naruto, right?" she urged Ino.

The blonde split the breakfast she'd prepared onto two ceramic plates: one for herself and one for Sakura before she snickered, "Uh, yeah, a-duh! You see how fast she split out of here?"

Sakura took the plate extended to her and made space for Ino on the couch.

"I just hope she's able to keep up with a collegiate athlete. She totally had on a whole little Nike fit; super cute, but–"

"All the tags were still on?"

The rosette forked eggs into her mouth and swallowed, "_Definitely_ still on."

The pair laughed warmly between one another and a comfortable silence fell upon the room. Eventually, only the sounds of forks scraping the bottoms of empty plates filled the space. Cautiously, Sakura spared a glance toward Ino, who'd transitioned out of her previous cheeriness and back into irritation. While she was aggressive before, her anger was now slumping her shoulders and casting a heavy shadow over her eyes.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Ino beat her to it, a too-sweet smile splitting her lips but not quite reaching her eyes. She nudged Sakura with her shoulder teasingly, "How was your meeting with _Uchiha-san_," her eyebrows danced suggestively, "last week? You didn't tell me!"

Sakura's heart leaped into her throat. "It was fine," she answered quickly. Clumsily, she gathered her and Ino's plates and dashed to the sink. She knew her tone was more than unbelievable when Ino's fair brows found higher residence on her forehead and her smile slipped into a smirk. Sakura huffed and repeated, more confidently, "It was fine. It actually was really great; I was able to do some pieces of problem identification and I think we've finally gotten to a place of good rapport."

"About time."

"What?"

Ino giggled and shook her head as she searched for the television remote. She sang, "Oh, nothing. So, you feel like you're making progress?"

Sakura murmured, "Hm...yeah. I'd say so. Basically, it kind of looks like he might be unaware of his triggers or numbed to them, you know? We talked about his favorite fruit and he brought up his mom out of nowhere."

"His _mom_?" Ino echoed.

Sakura tested the heat of the water in the sink then started on the dishes, scrubbing gently as she mused. "Yeah, it was unexpected," she answered. "And, you know, as soon as he brought it up? I tried to open a conversation about it and he totally shut down and we just talked about something else. I think something happened."

Ino hummed vaguely, "Interesting."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed emptily. She watched the suds of the dishwasher bubbles pop as her mind began to swirl around possibilities about what she'd talk to her client about tomorrow. She had already had half a hunch that it was Sasuke as soon as she'd seen his username, but adding on to that his weirdness with talking about his mom and the _very_ well known fact that he was an orphan?

There was almost no doubt in her mind at this point that the other person on the line was _Uchiha Sasuke_, Uchiha Sasuke. At least she thinks it's him, and not just some unlucky bastard who happens to have the same first and last name as Uchiha _MF Campus Crush_ Sasuke.

It's possible there's more than one Uchiha Sasuke, right?

Right.

And, even though Kurenai-sensei had made it clear that they were expected to inform her if they thought any conflicts of interest were likely to arise with their clients, this (the idea that there could be more than one Uchiha Sasuke on campus) what Sakura would continue to tell herself for as long as possible. She had decided.

It was simpler that way.

* * *

Sakura's first and only Friday class wasn't until 2:15, yet she still somehow managed to leave the apartment too late. After chasing after and missing the campus shuttle by _literally seconds_, the rosette practically left a trail of fire searing in the snow as she stomped back toward her unit's parking lot.

The only way she'd be on time now is if she drove.

"I hate it here," she growled to herself.

She thanked the heavens above that she had enough gas to get to and from campus as she started her decades-old beater and whipped down the road. The jalopy's radio had quit a long time ago, so Sakura usually took driving time as an opportunity to clear her mind and count her blessings.

Despite the snow, the roads were clear. The sun was out. Ino had time to do her makeup so, for once, her cat eyes and eyebrows matched. That was a definite plus. All of her momentary stress from missing the bus had nearly melted off her when she recalled that, since she drove, she would inevitably have to find _and pay for_ parking.

Her eyes narrowed and she muttered, again, "I hate it here."

Sakura scoped campus, tooth and nail, for a spot for what felt like hours until she came across a golden egg right in front of her class' building. Hashirama Hall was one of the oldest buildings on campus and was located centrally; it was almost impossible to find space to park near it. Determination coursed her veins and deflated like a popped balloon when, out of nowhere, a black Dodge Charger cut her off and stole the spot.

Her palm slammed into her horn and blared it.

"What the hell, dude!"

She jerked her car into park right beside the car and blocked them in before stomping out and slapping her gloved hand–repeatedly–onto the car's roof. "What's your problem? You had to have seen me!" she huffed. "I have class in like...two minutes, bro."

From inside the car, Sasuke pinched his nose and let out a concentrated breath. His growing list of reasons why he hated it here extended every second. He had half a mind to just grab his backpack and climb out of his car from the back since this imbecile thought blocking him in would solve all her problems. But, then again, he couldn't be too sure about whether she'd key his car or worse if he left and gave her the chance.

Sasuke groaned and rolled down his tinted window.

"I–" his insult died on his tongue as he finally saw her in full color. The gears in his brain clicked slowly as he put each piece together, from her petite form being swallowed by a giant silver bubble jacket to her cotton candy hair and seemingly reflective, bright green eyes. They'd never met formally, but he was sure. "I know you," he said finally.

Sakura stuttered and scoffed, lost for words and morbidly embarrassed. She had to remind herself that she was still pissed, regardless of who she was pissed at. She crossed her arms, "So? Doesn't change the facts, bud."

Sasuke scrunched his nose, "Bud?"

"Are you gonna move or not? I have a lab to get to."

"Same here" Sasuke answered plainly. He turned his key out of the ignition and reached for his backpack. "What about you? Planning on moving anytime soon?" He pointed to a student a couple of spots ahead getting back into their car and preparing to leave. His dark eyes glimmered with something Sakura couldn't quite identify, a mix between challenge and mischievousness that made her heart skip.

Sakura squashed her feelings with a stomp, and stubbornly pouted, "This spot's mine and you know it. Don't be a dick."

Approximately seven minutes later, despite his every natural inclination to be the dick that he was, Sasuke found himself relenting and giving the girl what she wanted. Even further, he found himself waiting for her to finish her horrid park job past the point of the tolling bell announcing the start of class with a patient, bemused smirk tilting his lips upward at her every readjustment. She shyly looked toward him each time she barely missed bumping the cars around her and smiled goofily.

He told himself it was only to make sure she didn't damage anyone else's vehicles as she parallel parked.

It had nothing to do with anything else.

* * *

**A/N: I am excitement embodied. Sorry for the late update! I've been struggling through the last chapter of **_**The Notebook**_ **and my classes started back. Hopefully, this super cute SS meet-up makes up for it! **


	29. February III - Part 2

_February – Week 3 (Part II)_

"Sorry I'm late," Suigetsu sneered as Sasuke slid into his spot at the lab table and readjusted his goggles. He was pulling into his lab coat as he ignored his partner continuing onward with his imaginary conversation, "It's no problem, man, we're all late sometimes. Except, I'm late all the time, Based God Sui–"

"I would never call you that," Sasuke interrupted.

Juugo handed Sasuke his copy of the lab protocol with a soft grin and agreed, "He wouldn't."

Suigetsu scoffed and groaned, but decided to let the argument go. It would be unwise to get on Sasuke's bad side; between the three of them, the Uchiha was the only one who was consistently able to decipher experimentation to Orochimaru-sama's incredibly specific fancy.

From the head of the classroom, Orochimaru began reading the instructions shortly after Sasuke got the chance to breeze through them himself. The class, which previously held a light buzz of conversation, hushed entirely. This was the only time that the professor would be willingly answering questions and providing clarifications. As soon as the clock struck 2:45, the students would be on their own.

Normally, this sort of do-or-die pressure exhilarated Sasuke and sharpened his senses, but today, he was more distracted than usual. His mind kept returning to a certain rosette, wracking through memories trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar to him. And, more importantly, why it was proving so damn hard to shake her (and their incredibly mundane interaction) from his mind.

* * *

Sakura cracked her neck and stretched as she exited Hashirama hall.

"What a day," she sighed.

The sky was painted purple and orange in the telltale signs of evening. The way the colors contrasted the stark white of fresh snow was truly breathtaking. Konoha University, for as annoying and arduous as it was, sure was beautiful.

Feeling inspired, Sakura fished her iPhone out of her pocket and lined up a photograph. She grinned at the product for a few moments before she recognized a small, parking meter-monitor car in the background.

Her heart skipped.

_She hadn't paid a __damn_ _thing._

She took the stairs down the building two at a time, nearly slipping on a sheet of ice as she scrambled to her car. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no," she muttered. This was a disaster. She'd been ignoring her last parking ticket for months – adding the accrued fees from that to whatever fine existed for this offense would definitely be out of the budget. Gingerly, she approached her car and winced as she brushed the snow off her windshield, searching for a ticket that she knew was buried underneath the dust.

Except...there wasn't one there.

Instead, a handwritten sticky note.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she grabbed it, curious.

"Didn't know when your class would end," Sakura read slowly, green eyes squinting slightly to read the fine print. "You're welcome. Uchiha Sasuke."

_Interesting._

Sakura bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. He'd paid the max fare for her, and she didn't even know it. She told herself that it was because of her small town upbringing that she felt the need to make it up to him.

It had nothing to do with anything else.

* * *

Sakura could hear Shikamaru and Ino arguing from outside of the apartment. If this didn't happen like clockwork around all significant celebrations – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays – she would be more concerned. She peeked through the half-closed blinds of the doorside window, trying to see if they were fighting in the living room or not. Unsure, she decided it best to text TenTen and Hinata to find out.

**Group Name**: Trouble in Paradise *palm tree emoji*

_anyone home? :D_

**Tentacles** – I haven't left my room in 20 minutes for fear of my life.

_Sheesh yeah I hear it out here too_

**Tentacles – **Hina escaped ;) *eggplant emoji*

Sakura gagged. Eggplant emoji?

_Tell me you're kidding_

**Tentacles – **lol she's only liked Uzumaki since sliced bread.

_Tru_

_You think it would be weird if I stopped by too? Like are they actually..._

**Tentacles **– Nah I doubt it. She said they were just gonna play Mario on Switch and eat and I believe her.

**Tentacles – **She packed a whole bag of ingredients for pastaaaaa I'm jelly D:

_I'll bring leftovers_ :)

**Tentacles – **I'll lyk when it's safe to return. Play as Yoshi in my honor, noblewoman.

Since Naruto had first invited Sakura – and by extension, her roommates – as welcome into his apartment, their visits had become incredibly regular. Or, rather, as regular as their busy schedules allowed. Usually it was just Sakura and Naruto hanging out. He was fantastic company and all around a good guy. Perhaps it said more about her that she expected someone as privileged as himself not to be as down to Earth as he was, but she was always pleasantly surprised by his character.

She was nervous about Sasuke at first, but she quickly found he tended to stay in his room when he wasn't pulling all-nighters at the Engineering Library.

"Basically, it's like living alone," Naruto had said one day when Sakura built up enough will to ask him about it.

Needless to say, Sakura was beyond surprised when the door was opened by none other than the man in question.

"Parking spot girl. Here to take my apartment as yours, too?" Sasuke smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against his door frame. Sakura would have noticed him fiddling with a small charmed necklace around his neck had his eyes not been boring into hers with the same intensity as they had earlier in the day. And, just like earlier, his attention threatened to bring a heated blush to her cheeks.

Sakura scoffed, "No," she hiked her backpack higher up on her shoulders and sighed. "Thank you for paying my meter."

Sasuke grunted vaguely in recognition of her thanks, locking eyes with her and staring unabashedly for what could have been eternities. He looked at her curiously, as though he was trying to solve a puzzle. Sakura felt entranced...and even a little bit dizzy. But, for whatever reason, she didn't want to look away. She figured that if he was like this with all girls he came across, it made perfect sense why he was the most sought after bachelor on and, honestly, off campus. She couldn't imagine all the ways in which women threw themselves at him.

She certainly couldn't compare.

In the same instant that both Sakura and Sasuke had taken a breath, presumably in preparation to say something meant to fill the awkward silence that was beginning to settle between them, Naruto's booming voice from deeper inside the home bellowed.

"Teme, come on! Close the door; it's getting cold in here!"

The moment was broken.

"You can leave your shoes at the door," Sasuke instructed as he stepped back to allow Sakura into the entryway. Shortly after locking up behind her, he escaped into his room and didn't come back out for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next evening, Sakura sat at her desk and reviewed her session plan notes in preparation for the call she would be having with Sasuke in the next coming minutes. She nibbled at her nails as she practiced the particular ways in which she planned to phrase her questions. She felt like she had most of the information she needed from him in order to complete her Case Conceptualization that was due the following week, but was feeling anxious about coming up with a way to ask him more personal things without being too invasive.

She should have told Kurenai about the conflict of interest as soon as she had a chance.

"Ugh," Sakura groaned. She dumped her head onto her desk and cried, "Frick my _liiiiife_."

"I don't understand what the big deal is."

Shikamaru and Ino had made up. Already.

As per usual, they were now inseparable as a result. Sakura rolled her eyes and contained her anger before turning her desk chair to face the cuddling couple on her bed. She wanted Ino here for her session as support, as always, but she didn't realize Shikamaru would be coming as a package deal. How naive of her.

Sakura smacked her lips and explained for the 100th time her predicament. "The 'big deal' is that the genuineness and authenticity of our interactions is at risk now. He may not feel like he can trust me if he thinks that I'm deceiving him or acting like someone else."

"So, don't act like someone else, then. Just be yourself."

"That would be in direct violation of contracting! He _literally_ signed up for anonymous support. If I'm no longer anonymous, that would obviously limit how effective therapy can be. Back me up, Piggie-chan."

Ino's blue eyes flicked between Sakura and Shikamaru and she realized she had unintentionally become the swing vote for who was right and who was an idiot. She scratched the back of her head and chuckled, "I think you both make great points."

"You think I'm right, don't you, babe?"

Shikamaru planted a _very manipulative, non-coincidental ass_ kiss onto Ino's cheek.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

Blushing, the blonde separated herself from her boyfriend and raised her hands in surrender, "That is _not_ what I'm saying, Shika-kun," Sakura scoffed smugly, "Or Forehead. I'm just saying, you guys both have sound logic and that it's _also_ almost 8:00. Why don't you, I don't know, play it natural and keep things light for tonight? Ask about school and then let the rest flow."

Sakura bit the inside of her lip and tapped her pen on her notebook. "I don't know," she mumbled. She wasn't entirely convinced.

"You got this!" Ino encouraged her as she snuggled back into Shikamaru. "If you need help, I'm right here. Just think: Sasuke's not stupid. Even if he does know it's you, he wouldn't do anything to put you at risk. Plus, you also don't even know for sure it's him, either. Relax. You can do it, chica!"

Sakura bit her lip. She sure hoped her friend was right.

* * *

That Friday, Sasuke left Orochimaru's lab section aggravated. For the first time, he wasn't able to complete the experiment satisfactorily. On top of that, he couldn't figure out where he went wrong. His lab report tonight would undoubtedly be a complete mess to put together.

His grumpiness lifted away as he approached his car and noticed a small note taped onto his windshield. It read:

_Guess who! Sorry I can't pay for your meter bc a) I'm broke and b) you already had it covered, but instead I leave you with this 1 Free Pass to park in my spot, non-expirable. Happy Valentine's!_

_Parking Spot Girl_

Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that tilted his lips as he pocketed the bright pink note, careful not to crumple it because he was sure it would come in handy in the future. His hand brushed his phone at that moment, and an idea popped into his head.

He should thank her.

Impulsively, he dialed the Counseling Center's number and half-hoped she would pick up. The other half of him hoped that he was wrong about his hunch altogether.

* * *

**A/N: *it begiiiiins*** **I feel like I should state very candidly that I ship both ShikaIno **_**and**_ **ShikaTema (and, likewise, InoSai). Along the same lines, there's nothing unhealthy going on with ShikaIno in this story besides them probably being past their expiration date as a couple. I hate to have them arguing and whatnot, but it's necessary for this story in particular. Anyhow!**

**Fave, Follow, Review :) **

**Thank you for all of the support, **

**~hot**


	30. February IV - Part 1

_**February – Week 4 (Part I)**_

Sakura was a bundle of nerves as the phone rang. Her heart was in her throat, and her hand jittered as she reached for it. She endlessly wished that she could ignore it but it was her job to answer. So, steeling herself for the worst, she winced.

"Moshi moshi, Kohana University Libraries. My name is Sakura, how can I help you?"

She nervously glanced toward Choji, who gave her a silent thumbs-up. Thanks to the support, her heart rate slowed and confidence flooded her. Sakura slotted the office phone in between her neck and shoulder as she continued on the phone with the student.

It seemed like they needed some help finding a book.

_Imagine that._

Seconds later, she'd finished the conversation with a sigh of relief. "Not too bad for my first solo call, ne?" she chuckled, looking toward Choji once again.

"Of course not, Sakura-chan! I knew you'd be a quick study," he complimented. "I'm not too bad of a teacher, either! Ha!"

Sakura laughed, "Nah, there are certainly worse. Thanks so much for hooking me up with this. You don't know how much you're helping."

Her hire was extremely last-minute, but it really came in the nick of time. Her rent wasn't going to pay itself and interning at the Counseling Center barely cut it. Sakura spent the rest of her shift unremarkably – answering a few calls here, checking in and out books there. Time seemed to fly, and before she knew it was time to clock out.

"Hey, Udon," she greeted her coworker when she reached her break room locker.

He sniffled, "Hey. Sakura-chan, right?"

Sakura smiled, "Mmhm. I'm surprised you remembered. I haven't noticed you working here since my first day."

"You say that like you've been here more than three days!" he laughed. Sakura shrugged good-heartedly as Udon explained, "I feel like they always hole me away at the EL, but – oh. I've been meaning to tell you, I'm really excited we'll be working together tomorrow."

"I don't work in the Engineering Library, Udon-kun," she said hesitantly.

Udon frowned and urged her along to follow him to the schedule posting for the next day. "Says so right here," he sniffed. "Katō-san doesn't really make errors, so I'd definitely recommend checking in with her if – "

"Oh, no," Sakura interrupted, waving Udon away as she approached the board. Her eyes narrowed in their search and widened in horror upon finding her little pink pin positioned just as indicated.

_This is horrible_, she thought.

* * *

xxxxxxx

"Shizune, _please_," Sakura begged immediately after class the next day. She clipped at the aforementioned's heels as she all but chased her through the busy halls of the psychology building. The rosette nearly bumped into a fellow student – earning a nasty sneer – in her efforts to beat Shizune to her office door.

Sakura shoved herself in front of the brunette's door and slammed it shut, effectively eliminating all opportunities for her to escape her pleas.

She grinned innocently.

"I already told you, Sakura," the brunette repeated, unfazed. "There are absolutely no ways in or out about this. When you work for University Libraries, you work for all of them, and you seemed to understand this –"

Sakura interrupted her, "Things change, Zune-chan."

Shizune's mouth pursed.

"I gave _preferences_, Shizune-_san_," Sakura whined.

"Katō-san, if you would."

Sakura blanched, looked from left to right, and drew nearer to Shizune before whispering, "Dude, are you serious?"

Sakura wasn't used to Shizune being in a formal leadership role; when they had first met, she was her pre-med mentor as a first-year student. Now, Shizune served as TA for two courses and as the graduate supervisor for all the University libraries. Through all the time that they'd known each other, Shizune had definitely pulled more than a few strings for Sakura because of her positions. Sakura didn't see how one more would hurt.

And she really needed this one if she was going to keep on successfully avoiding all personal contact with Uchiha Sasuke.

Their phone call was _tonight_ for Kami's sake! How on Earth would she secretly call him when there was a 99.99% chance he'd be in the same room as her?

"Fine," Sakura stated, out of other options. "Katō-san, I really need your help with this. Please."

Something in Sakura's expression must have changed from desperate to pitiful because Shizune visibly softened. She relented, "I have to get a couple of things done before Tsunade-sama's 4:15 lecture, but –"

The younger's arms were encasing the older's in a boa-like grip of a hug before the sentence could be finished. Several of Shizune's vertebrae cracked in between her mentee's kisses and praises, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Zune-chan!"

Shizune peeled herself apart from Sakura. "Don't thank me yet," she warned.

"The fact that you're even trying is enough, believe me," Sakura breathed, thankful.

Dark eyes narrowed inquisitively. "Is something else going on that you want to talk about? Mentor to mentee."

Sakura bit her lip. "Ah, no," she lied quickly. Shizune's eyes flicked to hers, and Sakura dodged them as she slipped away and into student traffic, seemingly never to be seen again.

* * *

xxxxxxx

As the newest addition to campus, the Engineering quad was positioned in one of the farthest corners of Konoha University, buried beautifully amongst trees and sidled amongst small streams. All of the buildings still sparkled of newness, with sharp, unmarred red brick and sparkling glass uniform throughout. At the center of all the beauty was the Engineering Library.

Oh, and Sakura.

Sakura was there, too.

The rosette was a jittery, itchy, nervous wreck at the second floor's help desk. She was doing all that she could – read: throwing her jacket hood over her pink head and ducking behind the desk as often as possible – to hide her identity. As she peered over the ledge of the desk, her green eyes were darts and the faces of each library patron was the target. Not a single one had been Sasuke...yet. And, somehow, as more time passed, Sakura only found herself getting more and more anxious.

The mental barrage of curses that she was sending Shizune's way was _endless_.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Udon asked hesitantly.

Sakura whispered, "Yeah. I'm fine," as she kept her head on a swivel, scanning.

"Are you looking for someone?"

She halted.

Then, she answered slowly, "No...but do you know–"

"Oh, hey, Sasuke!"

Sakura yelped and flung herself into the air and underneath the desk in a millisecond, a tornado of papers flying in her wake. How had she missed him! Her heart pounded in her ribcage. What the hell!

"Oh, my God," she breathed lowly to herself, pressing her hand to her chest. She'd just gotten this job and she was going to have to quit _right now_. She could eat air for the rest of her lease if that meant she wouldn't be needing to put herself in the line of fire like this on a regular basis.

Udon tapped her shoulder three times and smiled down at her. "Erm, Sakura-chan," he murmured. "Could you hand me the key for Sound Studio 3?"

Sakura blanked. Right. Sasuke wasn't stalking her. There was no line of fire to avoid. Sasuke just...wants to use the library and she works here. She inhaled deeply and brushed her pants off as she stood up. "Sure, no problem," she grinned, voice a little shaky.

Unsurprisingly, Sasuke was waiting at the front of the desk in all of his cool, careless hotness. His eyebrows rose slightly upon seeing Sakura and his mouth fell slightly agape in shock.

He had no idea she worked here.

"Hi," Sakura said quickly before stiffly turning herself away to dig through the appropriate draw for the key. "Here you are," she extended the key to Sasuke and gently placed it into his palm, concentratedly avoiding his intense study of her features. Maybe she was imagining it, but her fingertips seemed to light on fire when they brushed his skin.

Sasuke took the key and muttered a quiet, "Thanks," before striding away. Sakura watched his back as he walked away, just as mesmerized by his walk as she was with how quickly he seemed to have escaped. Before long, he was lost in between the mass of student traffic and long gone. When she was certain he wasn't coming back, Sakura exhaled a breath she did know she was holding, pulled her hood off her head, and leaned into her chair.

_That was close_.

* * *

xxxxxxx

As per usual, Sasuke stayed in the music studio for as long as he could, mixing and mastering to his heart's content. His head bobbed gently to the rhythm he was creating. He was deep into a chorus – _or_, _maybe a hook?_ He deleted a sequence and rewound it, then jotted a note in his journal about an idea – when three knocks gently rapped at the door behind him.

He shifted his headphones onto his neck and swiveled his chair around to the glass door. The light from the hallway was much brighter than the dim that he preferred to work in, but her pink head was unmistakable.

"Studio's closing in 5, just letting you know," Sakura said routinely, eyes focused on the list of tasks on her clipboard. She'd done the final 2:00 am count of patrons on each of the three floors, closed out all of the study rooms, and locked up rental equipment; wrapping up the sound labs was the last thing on her list before she could _finally _go home.

Sasuke watched as a yawn curled out of her mouth and she stretched before starting, assumedly, toward one of the other studios down the hallway. Feeling a rush, he quickly saved his project and clicked a few buttons to close the desktop browser. He grabbed all of his things into one arm and galloped toward the door.

"I'm done," he called. Sakura turned toward him, clearly startled, if the way she cutely gripped her clipboard to her chest was any proof. A smirk involuntarily tilted the Uchiha's lips upward, but he smothered the strange lightness that warmed his chest and finished, muttering, "Everything's out."

Sakura cleared her throat, "Ahem," and gave Sasuke a hesitant once-over before scuttling toward him. He sidestepped out of her way as she locked the door, and leaned on the wall, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Thanks," Sakura murmured carefully. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking toward him and asking, "Was there anything–"

Sasuke interrupted, "I drove."

Sakura gulped. "Okay, so–"

"It's late."

Sakura's eyes widened with realization and she shook her head, "No way, Sasuke, you don't have to…"

"I am."

Her green eyes narrowed as a certain sense of challenge filled the air. Her mouth tightened into a line as she glared into Sasuke's dark orbs. Sasuke didn't know what exactly to make out of the way her staring him down, eye-to-eye, made him feel, but he was more than willing to entertain the game.

He _would_ be taking her home.

Several tense seconds passed before Sakura scoffed, "Fine, give me ten." She turned, and her long hair whipped behind her to leave rosemary and mint lingering in the air. Sasuke inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, taking in the smell.

Surprisingly, he didn't mind it.

* * *

**A/N: ****Sorry y'all. Writing this was beyond difficult for some reason, and then the COVID thing happened. My apologies! Hopefully I'll have a lot more time to write now that my schedule is unexpectedly cleared haha.**

Stay well,

hot


	31. February IV - Part 2

_Part II_

_Four Days Ago_

Sakura sighed satisfactorily. A small puff of smoke exited her mouth at the chill, but otherwise, she was completely warm and fuzzy. Hopefully, her gratitude could be felt between the simple words she left behind with her little note.

Pleased, she about-faced away from Sasuke's Dodge and headed toward the bus stop that would take her home. There was usually a bit of time before the bus came after her class on Fridays, so as a treat she routinely visited the nearby Starbucks during the wait. While in line, she fiddled on the Starbucks app and cursed lightly upon seeing her card balance. She swiped around to her banker's app to do a transfer and felt her stomach drop further.

"Dammit," she whispered.

She was _broke_ broke.

"Next customer, please!" a cheery and familiar voice called.

Sakura walked up to Chiyo with a grin, "Hello again, Chiyo-san."

The elder's eyes creased and her finger wagged, "Now who is that – none other than my favorite pink-haired Gold Star member!"

Sakura chuckled sheepishly. She was certain she was this (and every) Starbucks' only pink-haired Gold Star member. "Guilty as charged," she played along good-heartedly. Sakura wrung her hands as she ordered, "I'll take my usual."

"It would be my pleasure, dear." Chiyo began plugging in her order but paused upon noticing Sakura's nervousness. Despite an impatient line, Chiyo slowed to lean closer to Sakura and whisper, "On the tab again?"

The rosette bit her lip and gave a small nod. "This is the last time, I swear," she explained. "I heard back from the library and I start tomorrow."

Chiyo nodded in understanding and comped Sakura's order for her. "Just do the same for me when this old back of mine gives out, ne?" she winked and she gave the rosette her coffee. Sakura laughed, assured Chiyo that it would be her pleasure to argue with insurance on her behalf one day, and left out of the doors just as her transit pulled up.

She flashed her student ID and murmured gentle apologies as she headed toward the back of the bus, careful not to drop her drink, and taking a seat in one of the few remaining free spots. She stared dreamily out of the window and imagined one particular student standing out from the crowd exiting Hashirama Hall. He should be strolling confidently toward his big fancy car right about now, none the wiser and smirking all cute-like in reaction to –

A strong vibration from her coat pocket made Sakura jump out of her daydream. "Sorry," she apologized self-consciously to the person beside her. They only scoffed and turned further away from her. "What up, Pig?" she sipped casually from her coffee.

"Why is Uchiha Sasuke," Ino seethed, "standing outside of our house, calling the parapro-phone, Forehead."

The rosette nearly choked on her frappe. She coughed and caught the attention of several nearby commuters. She spared them an apologetic glance before whispering her hesitant response: "I – I dunno...but...can you answer it?"

Ino's irises shrank.

"The door?!"

Sakura's temper flared, "No!" She took a breath, then answered. "The phone," she clarified in between a sip of coffee. "Answer the Counseling Center phone. It could be an emergency."

"But what about–"

Sakura listened as who she had to presume was Sasuke knocked at the apartment's door once more. Thinking quickly, she maneuvered around the bodies stuffing the bus to see that she was nearly home.

"Just answer the phone," Sakura interrupted as she sped down the bus aisle and off the vehicle. "Trust me. I'll be home in a second," she hung up.

This was fixable. She downed her coffee and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Home was only about a three-mile run from here.

No problem.

* * *

Ino lightly jogged to Sakura's room, where the Counseling Center paraprofessional phone was trilling. She muttered several curses under her breath, crossed herself over her chest, and inhaled deeply.

"Sasuke-san?" she chirped, doing her best to mimic her stupid best friend's timbre. As soon as the pitch creaked out of her mouth, Ino rolled her eyes to the back of her head.

Sakura was going to owe her _**big**_ _**time.**_

* * *

Sasuke paused.

The number had actually worked. But, for some reason, something still didn't sit right in him. He pursed his lips, looked over the girls' patio balcony paranoidly, and sucked his teeth after failing to find anything suspicious.

He confirmed his identity and answered, "Yes," slowly, still not trusting who he was talking to. But...who else would it be? He checked over his shoulder and then shook his head.

No one's watching him.

That would be _crazy_.

"It's not Tuesday," the person on the other end replied after some time.

"It's not."

Sasuke paced around and gnawed at his lip. She doesn't _sound_ right. Is that a weird conclusion to draw after only a few sessions back and forth? People's voices change, don't they? He was almost certain that girls didn't, like, go through a second puberty or anything like that, though. His mind raced as possible explanations rose, but all ultimately fell short.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Sasuke answered quickly, an idea blooming in his head.

_Would it be weird to…_

Sasuke hesitantly pressed the side of his body against the wood and tilted his head toward the surface. His eyebrow rose delicately as he focused on trying to capture any possible sounds from within the apartment. Perhaps the pressure of doing some _really_ objectively creepy shit was getting to him, but Sasuke didn't mean to sound as desperate as he did when the person he was talking to attempted to end the conversation with, "Well–"

"Is now a bad time?" he blurted, loudly, just to keep the conversation going.

_Gods, what am I_–

"Kind of, yeah."

Sasuke froze.

Parking Spot Girl blinked back at him, heaving slightly.

There had to be some logical way to explain this.

"What are you doing to my door?" Sakura asked part-incredulously, part-accusingly.

Carefully, Sasuke straightened and backed away from the door. Green eyes studied him like a book, and he found himself strangely self-conscious. He opened his mouth to answer – to say, truly, anything that made an iota of sense – but the sound of his name coming from the phone pulled him back to his call.

He kept his eyes locked with the pink-haired woman's as he brought his phone to his ear and sternly replied, "I can call back later."

He hung up, then cleared his throat.

Sakura crossed her arms expectantly.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, "I…," he trailed. At a loss, he broke her steadily intensifying glare to look over the balcony and stuffed his hands in his pockets in thought. Upon feeling the folded paper of a note left inside the fabric, he couldn't help but smirk. He pulled it out and stepped closer to her until he had to look down to meet her eye. "I found this on my windshield."

"So? Are you thanking me? By installing spyware onto my front door?" Sakura challenged, tilting her chin upward. She told herself it was the residual heat from running, and not being as close as she was to Sasuke's mouth, that was making her face warm and redden.

He took a step closer and smirked. He glanced quickly to her lips but returned to her eyes shortly after to ask, "Oh, is that what it looked like?"

_Sweet Kami_, Sakura felt disoriented. What was she _thinking_?

Right on time, Sasuke took a step back and the air was cool again. Sakura breathed deeply, and her heart decelerated with each breath of freshness she inhaled as Sasuke explained himself in seriousness. "I can't thank you properly without knowing your name." He admitted, "I was hoping I could catch it from one of your roommates."

Sakura was careful not to let her eyes narrow too much in disbelief. "That makes sense," she allowed. If that was what he was going to go with, so was she. Sakura extended her hand, "And who are you, sir?"

Sasuke looked at her hand curiously.

"Me?"

Sakura held firm and nodded, "Mmhm. I never asked."

Carefully, he took her hand in his.

"Sasuke," he answered.

She smiled, "Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

He expected her to follow up with a question about his surname, but it never came. Sasuke lapped in the curious way that this fact made him feel, somehow deciding that it didn't feel half bad, and suddenly registered the heat from their awkwardly held hands. Sensing this, Sakura gave a hearty shake strong enough to move both of their arms.

She grinned and giggled, "I'm Sakura. Haruno; formerly of the Parking sort."

"Sakura," Sasuke repeated, disentangling from his prior fascination and meeting her pace to shake hands.

Sakura nodded and released her hand to tuck hair behind her ear. Embarrassed, she shrugged, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Like the flowe–"

Sasuke stopped her short.

"Nice to meet you, Haruno Sakura," he said. "Thank you for the note."

Sakura blushed. "My pleasure, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

"BITCH, WHAT WAS THAT!" Ino shrieked only seconds after Sakura bid Sasuke adieu, closed, and locked the door behind her. The blonde leaped from the couch and was giddily demanding details to fill in the blanks of all that she couldn't see from the door window.

Sakura pressed her hand to her chest as she sank to the ground, floating down from a high that she was certain there were not nearly enough words to describe. She didn't know how to answer her best friend's question.

All she knew was that whatever _it_ was, it certainly couldn't happen again.

* * *

_Present Day_

Sakura rode comfortably in Sasuke's car, curled slightly toward him as she scrolled through a playlist on his phone. There seemed to be hundreds of songs on the device. Not a single one, though, had a title. Instead, the songs were saved as what Sakura pieced together as dates, going all the way back to when she was (they were) in high school.

"Did you make all of these yourself?" Sakura asked, looking up briefly at him as they slowed at an intersection. So far, Sakura had clicked through four or five songs and was impressed with each one.

Sasuke glanced at her, and the glow of the red stoplight off his skin in the late night was hypnotizing. In the time that it took Sasuke to decide whether to trust her, the light turned green. "Aa," he answered, pride laced in his voice.

"They're great, seriously," Sakura praised.

"Aa. I know."

She scoffed, "I'm still holding out for a dud, though, trust."

Sasuke grunted.

"Was that a laugh?" Sakura asked, one single rose eyebrow dancing higher on her face.

"Enough," Sasuke humored. He laid her with a strong side-eye that, after a brief laughing fit from the rosette, effectively ended the teasing. For the rest of the ride and even the walk up the stairs to their apartments, the pair existed in a comfortable silence accentuated by Sasuke's creations. As they approached Sasuke's landing, Sakura handed him back his device.

"I feel like it's a big deal; you trust me with this," she acknowledged. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded and took the phone before heading toward his door. "Anytime," he replied over his shoulder. He began unlocking it but looked back at Sakura, as though giving her a chance to say something before he went inside.

Sakura paused briefly, knowing that he had responded to her in a similar way, in a similar situation, only a few hours ago during their counseling session. She explored Sasuke's face for any signs of deeper knowingness or intentionality, then cleared her throat.

"We should do this again," she said, kicking softly at a pile of snow by her feet and trying to keep her hope - and all of the warning signals blaring in her head – at bay. She held her breath.

Halfway inside, Sasuke tilted his head. Then he nodded, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," he repeated. He stepped into his apartment and Sakura stood in wait for a few moments. Sure enough, he returned with a small bottle of water and some fruit snacks. "Text me when you make it in," he said simply.

Sakura stood dumbfounded with these items in her hand long enough to feel the cold of winter around her and long after Sasuke had gone in for the night. "Everything is _okay_," she whispered to herself, turning slowly toward the stairs and heading up them. As she walked into her apartment, she checked out the glowing digital clock on the microwave, balked at the ripe 3:45am that blinked on the display, and confirmed the hour on her phone. Her nerves jumped when she remembered that Sasuke had told her to text him when she got in and she realized.

_She _she didn't have Sasuke's number, and only _counselor_ her did.

Her throat closed.

Adjustments must be made.

* * *

**A/N: ****But will these adjustments _actually_ come to pass? Hehehe it already appears there's some trouble staying away from one another! Wild. Whatever will come next, I wonder.**

**Lol, thanks all for your patience! As always, I appreciate all of the love and support. **

A guest asked a question about the timeline, and hopefully, this clears it up. If not, this is between Session 4, Intersession 1, and coming up on Session 5. So, it's almost March storywise. As far as whether Sasuke has "figured it out" yet or not, I'd say that he does know at this point, but it's looking for that cold, hard evidence. Ever the natural detective, isn't he?

I look forward to updating within the next coming weeks! These two weeks felt good to me workload wise so anticipate that for now.

**Review, Fave, and Follow! :) **

**~hot**


	32. March I - Part 1

_March – Week 1 (Part I) _

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Sakura whispered, knocking gingerly on the raven-haired girl's door. She twisted on the knob and opened the door a crack. "Are you awake?"

Inside, the Hyuuga stirred in her bed and rubbed her eyes gently. She stepped into her slippers and slinked into a robe before meeting Sakura at her doorway.

"What is it, Sakura-chan? Is everything alright?"

Sakura smiled briefly, "Yeah, of course. I just need a little favor from you and it has to do with Naruto."

Hinata's heart skipped and she tightened her robe. "What makes you think he's here?" she asked quickly, eyes wide in frenzy.

She _knew_ Naruto snored too loudly to spend the night. She _knew _it!

Sakura's brows furrowed. "I didn't?" she replied, confused. She had half a mind to check over Hinata's shoulder to see if she had any aforementioned company, but decided that prying wasn't worth the inevitable fainting spell. Instead, she explained, "Sasuke drove me home from work and he told me to text him when I got in. I realized I don't have his number, though, so I was hoping you could just let Naruto know in the morning for me..."

All of the red left Hinata's face in relief and she exhaled. "Oh, of course," she answered. "Is that all?"

"Mmhm," Sakura replied. "Sleep tight, Hina-Bina."

"Night night, Socky-chan."

* * *

_hotline bling_

* * *

Wednesday mornings were usually rough for Sakura, but this morning was particularly tough because of how late she'd stayed up the night before worried about Sasuke. She had to start being more serious about refraining from developing a relationship outside of therapy with him. At this point, it was now or never and, for some reason, staying away had been and still was proving to be more difficult than Sakura would care to admit. Nevertheless, it was a recipe for disaster if she kept making up any and all the necessary excuses, rationalizations, and justifications she needed just to share space with the man – his surprise trip to her apartment was proof enough of that. As much as she wished there was another way, it was too late to switch clients and she had stuck herself epically into an ethical bind.

"I have no other choice," she moaned to herself as she slinked into her seat for Kurenai's lecture, certain she looked every part like the zombie that she felt like.

"Jesus," Kiba breathed. "You look like shit," he frowned and backed away from Sakura in shock. The rosette groaned and melted further into her chair, pressing her cheek to the cool tile of the attached desk. Normally, she'd had some witty retort for the Inuzuka each class period, but today was not the day. Sensing the seriousness of Sakura's exhaustion, Kiba relaxed and placed a supportive hand on her back, rubbing gently.

He asked, "Something going on, Sak?"

Sakura inhaled deeply. How, oh, how was she to explain that her long-buried, completely unfounded crush on someone she knew absolutely nothing about was being very violently reignited now that she was, in fact, getting to know him very intimately? And, on top of that, the only reason why he trusted her enough to let her in in this intimate way was because she was his anonymous counselor_? _Or, perhaps even worse, that the reason why she was so stressed now was because she **sucked ass** at maintaining boundaries and controlling herself well enough not to make her own situation worse for herself by insisting on taking every opportunity she had to flirt with fire instead of being freakin' _honest_?

She exhaled slowly and met Kiba's curious, non-judgemental eyes. "You can tell me," he encouraged while switching his back rubs to gentle pats. He grinned warmly and joked, "Your boy is a fortress. Lips. Sealed."

Maybe she could just tell him a little bit of what was going on. They were friends, after all, and maybe he had stressors with his project, too. Hopefully, they were a little different than hers, but...

"I–" Sakura started.

The clock struck 9:00 am and Kurenai startly aptly. "Alright, everyone," she announced. Kurenai's eyes seemed to zero in on Sakura, making the rosette smile apologetically at Kiba, turn away from him, and sink slightly into her seat, as she continued, "Thank you so much for being on time to class today. We have a lot to do and will be focusing on wrapping up those conceptualizations, so let's take out our laptops and log on to our groupwork servers, yes?"

"Hai, sensei," Sakura, Kiba, and the rest of their classmates emptily replied and began shifting to grab their computers. Perhaps Sakura could tell Kiba later, but for now, she was glad that Kurenai snapped her out of her near-admission and into good enough shape to focus on the task at hand.

She could get through this. Plus, all of her stress would be a thing of the past by time the weekend came around. March 1st was right around the corner, and that meant the biggest unofficial school holiday of the year was, too.

A party would do her good.

* * *

"I thought you wanted this, Forehead!" Ino complained, nearly burning Sakura with her curling iron thanks to how dramatically she swung her arms out. "Wednesday, did you or did you not _barge_ into my quiet home, totally interrupting Riverdale, may I add, to demand that we host an A-Day party?"

Sakura threw her head back and gargled, hissing slightly at the feel of the antiseptic burning the bridge of her nose before spitting into one of the two vanity sinks that belonged to her. "I'm just not sure," she said in between flossing and inspecting her teeth for cleanliness. "Do _we _have to be the ones hosting, y'know? Is it too late to–"

Ino scoffed and put down her curling iron. "Yes," she bit. "A-Day is _today_, Forehead. Invites have been sent. Liquor has been purchased." The blonde shook her head, "I knew you were gonna get cold feet, bro."

Sakura leveled Ino with a side eye for several seconds before muttering, "I know what day it is, _bro_." She stuffed her toothbrush in her mouth, scrubbed with vigor, and quipped through the foam, "You're gonna burn down the goddamn apartment before the freakin party anyways."

"I don't know what you're…" the smell of smoke coming from the blonde's iron reached her nostrils that moment and she shrieked, flushing red. Ino looked up at her and her best friend's reflections in embarrassment and huffed at Sakura's smug smirk of satisfaction. "Whatever," she bemoaned, flicking the hair tool off and unplugging it. Ino bit the inside of her cheek and considered her retort. Decisively, she teased, and reached to poke Sakura on the butt before running out of the bathroom, "You're just pissy because _Sasuke-kun_ is coming and you 'found the strength within' to avoid him all last week. T'uh. We'll see how well that stands up now, won't we?"

Sakura jerked away from Ino's poking finger and spit into the sink again, growling.

"Take that back, you _pig!_" she cried, chasing after her with a fist.

* * *

Naruto expertly flicked his wrist and watched in genuine wonder as two greasy, sizzling pieces of bacon flipped in the air and landed back in his pan. The sounds and smells of breakfast filled his and Sasuke's apartment in the early hours. Amongst these noises was the cheery melody of Naruto's whistling and the hellish groans of Sasuke, the resident raincloud dampening the mood that Naruto was trying to set in celebration.

"Come on, teme," Naruto egged. "This is the first time we get to actually partake in A-Day and we're _seniors_. Our season is going great. We just! Beat! Suna! And on their turf at that. Seriously. We basically have no choice but to get wasted!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I'm awake, aren't I, deadlast?"

"Yeah but it's no fun when you're the living dead, Sasuke," Naruto laughed. He put together two full plates of eggs, toast, and bacon and balanced them over to the table. Sasuke lifted his head and straightened slightly to take his serving. While he carefully spread butter and jam over his bread, he couldn't help the trace amounts of disgust sinking into him from watching Naruto truck his food into his mouth. None the wiser, or perhaps well adjusted to, Sasuke's silent judgements, Naruto sloshed orange juice into the mix and continued to gobble down. "Eat like you mean it," the blond urged and reminded, "We're running late to Ino-chan's, and I told Hinata that we'd help set up so we gotta get a move on."

"Not that I care, but;" He proceeded to care. "What's going on with you two?"

Naruto stopped dangling his bacon in front of him midair and asked back, clueless, "Me and Ino?"

"The one with the eyes."

"Oh, Hinata. Don't be mean, Sasuke; they all have eyes. What eeyyyyeee," Naruto sang, dancing briefly in his chair to Sasuke's disdain, "wanna know is what's up with you and that girl from last Tuesday night."

Sasuke scrunched his face dramatically. "What girl from last Tuesday night?"

"Don't lie to me, Uchiha. I count my fruit snacks – one was _definitely _missing and you only give those to girls." Naruto giggled, "I bet it's the same chick from the phone a couple weeks ago. So, when'd you sneak her out? I missed that–"

"Shut up, deadlast. It's not like that."

Sasuke folded his hands under his nose and covered his growing blush as he chewed and glared into his emptying plate. He was determined to ignore Naruto for however long it took for the idiot to let it go. The fact that _it_ was _not_ _like that _got underneath Sasuke's skin in ways he was beyond unfamiliar with. All that he had done over the past couple weeks to try and catch Sakura up was a complete waste of time and he had failed because he was, undoubtedly, wrong. Him.

Wrong.

He couldn't believe it.

And he didn't know what was worse – that he was developing a _crush_ on his anonymous counselor or that his brain (and, even more annoyingly, his body) wanted so badly for this mysterious voice to be his neighbor that he'd convinced himself to believe it to be true. And based on what?

A similar sounding voice?

A cute face?

He shuddered as he felt Naruto hovering closer to him in his peripheral, still insisting on an answer. Neither of those reasonings was even close to enough. "Let it go, dobe," Sasuke muttered. "Sakura and I are just friends. I gave her a ride home – that's all."

Naruto deflated. "Oh, duh, I shoulda known," he dismissed. "Sakura-chan would never go for you, anyways. She's way too focused on school, you know."

"Right," Sasuke agreed unconvincingly.

"But anyways. What are you wearing to the party?"

The Uchiha sighed. _Back to that_.

"Black, probably," he answered.

Naruto balked, "Nooooo, teme. No. No," he waved and crossed his arms in vague 'X' shapes. Sasuke rolled his eyes while Naruto continued, "I simply won't allow it, Uchiha. You have to have something in your closet that isn't Hot Topic circa '08."

Sasuke glared. "What…," he started. Then, he shook his head and tore a piece of meat into his mouth. He actually _couldn't care less_ about what Naruto meant by that. He brushed his hands on a nearby napkin and properly responded. "I don't have any green, if that's what you're asking," he said simply. "Even if I did, Coach was clear– supporting shitfest holidays will lead to nothing short of your dumb loaf ass being grass on my bench for as long as I want."

"–supporting shitfest holidays will lead to nothing short of your dumb loaf ass being grass on my bench for as long as I want," Naruto mimicked Kakashi word-for-word with Sasuke, annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, I know what Dr. Seuss said," the blond moaned.

"Exactly," the Uchiha emphasized. He caught Naruto's eye with a glint that only took the blond a few seconds to register. Then a large smile split the Uzumaki's lips. Sasuke smirked back and pointed, standing from the table, "That's why we don't get caught."

Naruto hooted, rocketing from the chair, "Woo-hoo! That's what I'm talking about, Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke shook his head and laughed to himself. _What an idiot_.

* * *

The party was at full speed by 8:00 am, and it would be an A-Day for the history books.

* * *

**A/N: Hello all! Thanks so much for all of the support in the last chapter and I look forward to what's coming next. The story is well on its way to more and more exciting bits so stay tuned :) **

**For those who are wondering about A-Day! The day is a fictional holiday modeled after something that occurs at my undergraduate institution that is basically an unofficial celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Honestly, the entire setting is based on my undergrad haha, so if anyone out there happened to go to or still goes to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US, feel free to envision locations as the ones in Chambana. A – one of the former Raikage – has a birthday on March 1, so I thought it would be cool to have college kids everywhere celebrate with copious amounts of alcohol. Why?**

**Because we love alcohol-induced shenanigans!**

**Let me know in the comments if there are any mishaps you hope to see, think are coming up, or any reactions you have to this chapter overall! **

**See you next time, **

**~hot**


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